Palmcroft ceiling collapse won’t delay renovations, first day of school
A collapsed ceiling in a breezeway near the front office at Palmcroft Elementary School that occurred Monday will not be delaying the school’s opening nor the completion of renovations that are currently being done, according to a Yuma Elementary School District One representative.
“We do not believe that this incident will cause a delay in the scheduled completion timeline for this project at Palmcroft Elementary,” said Luciano Muñoz, District One’s executive director of human resources, in an email after consulting with Kenneth Evenson, District One’s director of maintenance and operations.
He also said that while “ensuring that our school is (a) safe environment is our ultimate priority,” they do not expect the first day of school to be delayed.
“We are working with the City of Yuma to determine next steps,” Muñoz said. “We will keep the Palmcroft School community updated should there be any changes to the scheduled opening of school.”
District One’s free summer meal program also resumed on Tuesday, after the city and district evaluated the situation Monday, according to Muñoz.
The ceiling collapse was reported just before 11 a.m. Monday, according to a statement from the Yuma Fire Department. Two workers who were there sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and were treated at the scene before being taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Muñoz said that the collapse was the result of renovations that are taking place at the school.
“During the course of a demolition of a section of an isolated ceiling soffit at Palmcroft Elementary, an additional section of the… ceiling soffit in the breezeway fell to the ground,” he said.
The renovations will provide Palmcroft with a new multi-purpose classroom, or “makerspace.” Another District One school, Alice Byrn Elementary, is also undergoing construction for a new special needs wing with multiple classrooms.