The extreme winter temperatures Christmas weekend caused a critical component in the water system to fail, which resulted in depressurization. This can potentially cause the water inside the system to become contaminated.
Due to this, the district issued a boil advisory, with signs posted at all sinks and all drinking fountains have been bagged, which was still in effect near the end of last week.
Superintendent Brian Kuhn said when the district completed the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) renovation project on the Clark-Shawnee middle and high school building in 2020, the existing water treatment system was not called out for replacement.
However, the district moved to replace the existing system with a new one ready to begin operation, Kuhn said.
“We proactively took the steps to replace the existing water treatment system and the new system is ready to come online,” he said. “In fact, we are using the current issue as the impetus for the final transition to the new treatment system.”
Kuhn said the boil advisory will be lifted once the new system is online and the water has been tested, which is required when bringing in a new system.
Until the boil advisory is lifted, potable water is available through water coolers placed throughout the building, and students are encouraged to bring a water bottle with them to school.
Students will return to school after the holiday break on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
The heating system also malfunctioned the last week before students started their holiday break.
Students at the middle and high school were released early on Dec. 19 due to an unexpected issue with the heating system. Two pumps that supply heat in the buildings malfunctioned.
However, the malfunction was repaired later that afternoon and the building temperatures returned to normal for students to return on Dec. 20.
The source of the heating issue was a failed breaker that prevented the pumps from receiving the electricity needed to function properly.
The funds to fix the heating system will be paid from the district’s maintenance fund, while the cost to replace the water system is being paid out of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) grant allocation, Kuhn said.
“We built this replacement into our budget when we received this grant. Because this project is an improvement over our existing older system, ESSER grant funds can be used, which helps preserve our general fund dollars,” he said.
Kuhn said the current water treatment system has given them several issues over the last few years. Because of that and its age, the district worked to construct a replacement.
“Whether a building is new, renovated or older, there are always maintenance needs to keep things running,” he said. “It is clear that our new and renovated buildings are costing us less in maintenance dollars than our previous buildings.”
As part of the OFCC construction project, Kuhn added that they are required to keep a maintenance fund to address unexpected needs.
The new elementary for preschool through sixth-graders opened in fall 2021. The renovation of the middle and high school for seventh-graders through seniors was completed in November 2020.
The district held a groundbreaking in October 2018 for the construction of the $52 million pre-K through sixth-grade school building. Voters approved a $37 million bond issue in August 2017 to build a new elementary school and renovate the middle/high school. The bond issue was for 5.3 mills for 37 years and will cost the owner of a $100,000 home a little more than $15 a month. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) covered about 30%, or $15.6 million, of the cost of the project.
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