Elmwood high school gym floor being resurfaced

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ELMWOOD - The Red Zone Gym floor at the School District of Elmwood suffered water damage due to heavy rains experienced in August.

On the evening of Aug. 10, over five inches of rain fell in the Elmwood area.

According to Superintendent Paul Blanford, “The unusually heavy rain that we received on Aug. 10 was likely what caused the water damage to the gym floor.

"On the morning of Aug. 11, it was discovered that we had a puddle of water on the southeast corner of the gym floor. The water was cleaned up right away with no apparent damage caused. That same day, the roof was examined for leaks; however, no leaks or damage to the roof from the storm could be found. Later in September, it was discovered that two areas on the south end of the gym showed cupping of the wood in the floor. Again, the roof was examined to look for possible leaks, as we had a number of additional rainfalls in September. Again, nothing could be found. In mid-October, two ‘humps’ in the floor appeared near the southeast corner of the gym. Again, the roof was examined. This time, a leak was found in a seam near the skylight in the southeast corner.”

What was the cause of the leak?

“Through an investigative process, it has been determined that the leak in the roof was not caused by wind or hail. The roof itself is over 12-years-old and the warranty on it was for 10 years; the roof has outlasted its warranty. The breach in the seam is apparently a result of aging.”

Blanford reported that, on Nov. 8, Stalker Flooring began repairing the damaged gym floor areas. Once the damaged floor area was removed, it was evident that much of the water damage was caused from water entering under the floor from the exit doors rather from a leak in the roof.

Blanford stated, “When the flooring was taken up on Monday, it was revealed that water damage occurred at the exit doors. It appears that water has been coming in under the doors for quite some time, likely a small amount each time we got a heavy rain. Without going into a lot of detail, the way the concrete met up with the outside of the door, it was letting water enter into the building under the threshold. Unfortunately, when this happened, the water went under the floor where it could not be seen. The cost of the repair to the floor is about $31,500. In addition to the floor, we are fixing the issue with the doors and will be replacing the gym roof within the next year.”

Blanford added that the gym will not be useable until about the first week in December, when Elmwood has its first home basketball games. Until then, basketball practices will need to be conducted in the older Lien Gym.

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