Weather woes close some schools
<p>A snow grader gets a jump start at the intersection of Main and Center streets in downtown Kalispell on Tuesday. Road crews were kept busy plowing heavy snow across Northwest Montana. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
West Glacier Elementary closed Tuesday and will remain closed the rest of the week due to a burst water pipe.
A pipe break above the kitchen produced about an inch of water throughout the kitchen, gym and main office areas. Classrooms were not affected, according to Principal Cory Pierce.
“It was discovered about 6 a.m. this morning when our snow-plow contractor noticed water coming from under the front entrance,” Pierce said.
School will resume Monday as long as cleanup is completed. Parents will receive notification through a phone tree and mass email in addition to announcements over Bee Broadcasting and at http://flathead.mt.gov/schools/closures.php.
All other Flathead County schools were open Tuesday, but that was not the case in Lake County, which had areas with up to a foot of snow.
Classes were canceled in Polson and Charlo and at Salish and Kootenai College in Pablo.
By 9 a.m. Tuesday, U.S. 93 between Somers and Polson had received 12 inches of snow, Montana 83 received 14 inches and Montana 206 got 10 inches overnight, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.
Early Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported 8 inches of snow at Bigfork, 7.5 inches at Marion, 6.3 inches at Columbia Falls and 5.8 inches in Kalispell. Those depths increased as snow fell throughout the day Tuesday.
At West Glacier, Pierce said the burst pipe may have been a result of recent temperatures that plunged as low as 20 below zero.
“Things happen when temperatures get that cold. We have a huge crew from Stat Restoration cleaning up,” Pierce said.
Pierce said he plans to meet with the school’s insurance adjuster to assess damage estimates.
Tim Prince, project manager for Stat Restoration said repairs likely will involve replacing ceilings, cabinetry, drywall, insulation and appliances.
Prince said the school also is looking at relocating the pipe, or other engineering alternatives, to avoid future incidents.
With the cold snap causing similar problems around the valley, Stat Restoration has been busy.
“We’re keeping up as fast as we can with other similar incidents in the valley,” Prince said.
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.