(Atlantic) Atlantic Schools Superintendent Steve Barber and school administrators are working through placing students following Tuesday’s fire that caused extensive water damage to the Middle School. The building will not be open for students when classes begin on August 23.
Steve Barber and school administrators are currently working through the process of placing students. We do know that remote learning is not an option under consideration.
Barber says numerous things are involved, considering the district must find a place for 330 students and 50 staff. Transportation, food service, technology, and maintenance are all areas that need to be considered when deciding where to house the displaced students.
Barber admits they won’t have everything they need by August 23. They will have a location and some moving parts. Barber says they will do the best they can with what they’re dealt with.
Barber says 80-85-percent of the building has minimal to severe damage, leaving about 15-percent of the building untouched. First Onsite Restoration arrived on scene Thursday morning, and by Monday, two crews of 30 working eight-hour shifts will be working inside the building. Restoration crews will heat the building to 100-degrees, along with de-humidifiers. The visible water is gone; the mission now is to take the moisture out of the walls.
(Photos submitted by Atlantic Middle School Principal Josh Rasmussen)
Barber says construction crews will need to replace all of the wood floors, except for maybe the gym floor, which is still unknown. These are just a few examples of what needs to be done.
