Greenwich High OKs $217K to begin cleanup from flood

GREENWICH — The Board of Education voted to appropriate nearly $220,000 in spending to make repairs at Greenwich High School after a flood left the science building without hot water and the labs without pressurized air.

The problem began in the mechanical room, where a component of the domestic hot water system — the plate heat exchanger — failed on Nov. 15. That caused the mechanical room to flood with 7 feet of water that had to be pumped out, administrators said in the request. Sewage ejectors and fire alarms in the mechanical room were damaged, as well as the domestic hot water system.

As a result, there is no hot water in restrooms, classrooms or custodial areas in the science building, and the system that provides pressurized air to the science labs does not work.

School administrators cobbled together a temporary sewage ejection system to allow school programs to continue uninterrupted.

The BOE Facilities Department does not have an exact cost for the total repairs, nor the date that the work will be completed, but department members said they hope all systems will be fully operational by the end of the year, according to the request.

The repairs are eligible for a $25,000 insurance deductible.

Board Member Jennifer Dayton requested additional drains be placed in the floor to prevent such floods in the future.

“Could there be any other enhancements in the future?” she asked administration.

The interim appropriation request for $217,000 would cover the costs of the immediate response and reconstruction, which includes compensating the work of contractors and school board staff to pump, clean up, disinfect and repaint the room; paying staff overtime; and repairing and replacing damaged systems and equipment.