By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Staff at Lincoln Elementary in Great Bend recently found an unwanted guest lurking in the walls of the nurse's office bathroom. During Monday's USD 428 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent John Popp sought approval from the board to move ahead with repairs.
"We started digging into it and discovered there was a water pipe that's been leaking for an undetermined amount of time behind the wall in Lincoln Elementary," he said. "There was mold behind the cabinet."
The leak involved clean water, not sewer water, and had drained near the bottom of the wall and was therefore never visible to staff. Magna Dry was hired to dry and clean the area. The board approved a bid from Brentwood Builders for $34,107.91 to complete the repairs.
"Our insurance deductible on water damage is $50,000," Popp said. "Thirty-four thousand dollars is the total cost, so we will be paying for that whole thing. We did turn it into insurance because that allows us move forward with the repairs right away."
Popp said the goal is to get the restroom working soon but the entire project may take several months to complete.