Crews are working to make repairs to a couple of school buildings damaged in a severe storm that ripped through the central Iowa town of Sully one week ago today strong winds ripped the roof off the Lynnville-Sully Middle School gym.
Superintendent Shane Ehresman has since received a couple pieces of good news. “We had our school examined by a structural engineer and they determined our building was structurally sound,” Ehresman said. “Insurance reps have been accessing the damage and it sounds like our insurance plan will pay for all the damaged school property, which is good news for us as well as taxpayers.”
Beams from the middle school roof traveled about 50 feet and hit a fitness center, breaking windows and destroying a rubber weight room floor. The new gym roof is expected to cost around $150,000, while a new floor for the weight room carries a price tag of roughly $7,000.
“I think our deductible is $2,000 or $2,500 – somewhere in that range,” Ehresman said. “So, we’ll pay our deductible. The real positive thing is no one was hurt.” The district hired a professional cleaning service to help custodians repair water damage and rip out drywall in the buildings. A temporary roof is also in place on the gym.
“The day after (the storm) we had everything sealed up,” Ehresman said. “We’re probably going to begin working to accept bids to install a new roof. The temporary roof just seals it to prevent leaks.” The storm also caused some damage to poles and fencing around the high school’s baseball field.
Randy Van, KCOB, Newton