Hail damage to cost $400K

R U S S E L L V I L L E — Hailstorm damage at Russellville Middle School is expected to cost about $400,000 to repair, Superintendent Dr. Tim Guinn told the city schools board of education during its March 12 work session.

Guinn said the Feb. 26 storm damaged sections of the school’s roof, rooftop HVAC systems and ventilation system.

He said the storm also caused significant damage to the media center, cafeteria, office and sound studio with the heaviest impact centered around the cafeteria and library areas.

“It just hit right there in the center,” Guinn said.

Guinn and custodians from the high school spent about an hour helping with the cleanup at the middle school after the storm.

He said insurance adjusters initially settled on replacing only the roof over the main part of the building. He said the district later called the adjuster back after a leak appeared on one of the smaller roofs.

The insurance adjuster then inspected every roof. Guinn said the district now expects to replace the main roof and at least one, if not both, of the smaller subroofs.

Guinn said PH&J Architects has been retained to prepare drawings, coordinate with mechanical, electrical and structural engineers, ensure compliance with applicable codes, and manage the three-bid process for repair and replacement of the roofs.

He said Clean Image Restoration completed cleanup, water removal, odor mitigation and dehumidification in the affected areas, and Next Level Roofing completed a full roof overlay to protect damaged sections.

He said the storm also damaged two school greenhouses, breaking windows and destroying plastic coverings.

Guinn said the district received $7,500 per building for the greenhouse damage with each greenhouse counted separately. He suggested to board members the school system handle those repairs without turning them in as part of the larger insurance claim.