LIMA — Despite having to cancel school Monday, the head of Lima Central Catholic High School expressed relief, saying that it could have been a lot worse.
A waterline break kept students away from the high school Monday as water forced its way up onto the school parking lot Sunday evening. Crews arrived early Monday to inspect any damage while locating and repairing the leak, and it was back to school for students on Tuesday.
“They located the break, and it was about the size of a golf ball,” LCC Principal Stephanie Williams said. “They were able to repair it and at mid-afternoon, the crew showed up to start re-coating the parking lot there.”
Contrary to early concerns, the leak did not cause any cave-ins in the parking lot, according to Williams.
“We think it was the pressure from the water that pushed up the blacktop in two areas,” she said. “But those have both been repaired.”
Williams also emphasized that there was no damage inside the building. Water was able to be restored to the gymnasium and science and tech wing to allow for a girls basketball game and a quiz bowl tournament to proceed Monday night as scheduled.
As for the students who missed school, Williams said she emailed the students Sunday alerting them of the cancellation, which could possibly be a blessing in disguise for them with end-of-semester tests coming.
“We’re getting ready to have exams, so I think students appreciated having that extra day,” she said.
While the focus of Monday’s activities centered on repairing the waterline and the parking lot, questions will have to be answered in the future as to the cost to the school, Williams said, as the pipe that burst was a private line located on school property.
“We’ve been in contact with our insurance company. Beyond that, I think they’re just waiting to assess all those things.”
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