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Red Oak Middle School to reopen in January

News

December 17th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

After being closed since the Labor Day weekend, Red Oak Community Middle School will reopen its doors for the new year. Superintendent Terry Schmidt told the Daily NonPareil an inspection by the State Fire Marshal’s Office on Monday morning cleared the way for the building to reopen Jan. 5th. The school was closed indefinitely after as much as 2 inches of water flooded its second floor, leaking into electrical conduits and creating a safety hazard. The three-story building just north of downtown is more than 100 years old.

Middle-school students will start their holiday break early on Friday so teachers and support staff can box up temporarily classrooms in the district’s high school and its adjacent technology building. Maintenance and operation staff will complete the move during the holiday break, Schmidt said. The building already has repaired electrical infrastructure, new carpet and new painting where needed.

Because the gym is in a separate but attached building, the fire marshal gave an all clear to use the building weeks ago if the district prevented a possible fire from spreading from the main school. Schmidt said the repairs so far have totaled about $120,000, but he expects the total bill to end up about $150,000 by mid-January when claims are submitted to the district’s insurance adjuster.