Salida School District Tackles Leaking Middle School Roof

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Here at the The Salida Citizen, I’ve been following this closely, in part, because my oldest son is directly affected. I have looked at the problem, and discussed it with the school board, teachers and staff.

As a community, this would seem like a recent problem, but in reality, this is an inherited issue by most all of the teachers, the Principal, the current school board and the Superintendent. So, let’s not look back. They are all dealing with this as efficiently as possible. -bd

While a permanent solution for the leaking roof of the Salida Middle School is a number of months away, the school district staff has been working through short-term solutions daily, modifying classroom layouts and even relocating some classes to neighboring rooms and in a few cases to other buildings.

Investigation has reveled the cause of the leaks in the 10-year-old roof are due to improper installation. Unfortunately the roofing contractor which installed the roof dissolved under bankruptcy a short time after completing the job, leaving the school system without a route of recourse. Repairs have been made to a number of areas during the past decade; however faults in the original construction have compounded the situation making spot repairs impractical. Roofing experts agree that the only viable solution is a complete replacement of the roofing membrane.

Board of Education member, Robin Nejame commended the efforts of the teachers, maintenance, janitorial and administrative staff during this difficult situation. Ms. Nejame said “This has created an extremely challenging environment for our teachers and students. They have toughed it out and have demonstrated why our schools are so great. They have rallied and created solutions to ensure the health and safety of the students and staff in the building while doing their best to maintain a productive learning environment.”

Teachers and administrators have worked to find alternate locations for classes held in the most affected classrooms while creatively reorganizing less affected rooms. The maintenance and janitorial staff are focusing on controlling damage to the building and its contents while keeping a keen eye on the health and safety of the building’s occupants by mitigating the affects of the moisture, conducting numerous tests for mold and utilizing the resources of the Chaffee County Building Safety and Environmental Health Department. Concurrent with these actions the Board of Education, administrators and maintenance

personnel have been obtaining professional evaluations on the roof as they determine the best course of action to achieve a permanent solution. The initial estimates for the roof replacement are in excess of three hundred thousand dollars. Superintendent John Rouse submitted an emergency grant request for funds from the state to help cover the cost of the roof replacement on March 13. A response on the request is expected within 15 days of its submission. If the emergency grant money is not received the funding will have to be obtained from the district’s reserve fund.

It’s unfortunate to have a failure in a relatively new building, but according to Mr. Rouse, the district is taking steps to minimize the possibility of similar construction faults in the future. “We already have a requirement in place to have a qualified Owner’s Representative oversee the construction of the new buildings under consideration by the district.” Owner’s Representatives typically are well versed in construction techniques, materials and design and are employed to ensure all workmanship and decisions made are in the best interest of the building’s owner.

Through this adversity the Salida School District staff continues to focus on their primary mission of preparing our youth for the future, even in the midst of dripping water and the disruptions it causes. The comprehensive solution for the leaking roof being developed now, will guarantee the root causes are identified and corrected to ensure similar disruptions to the middle school’s learning environment will not occur for many decades to come.

The mission of the Salida School District, in active partnership with family and community, is to ensure that each and every student is prepared to succeed in life, by providing quality instruction and progressive curriculum in a secure and challenging environment which will empower students with the skills necessary to achieve their greatest potential.