Lead-Deadwood school roof declared emergency

By Journal staff | Tuesday, October 21, 2008

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Dings in the Lead-Deadwood Middle School roof from an August hailstorm were more than mere dents. Now, the rush is on to replace the sheathing material ahead of sleet and snow.

The damage revealed itself after the first fall storm last weekend. About 8 inches of wet snow produced wet ceiling tiles, classroom teachers reported.

In hiring General Service Construction for $77,100 to replace the roof, the Lead-Deadwood School Board invoked a state law that allows public boards to bypass seeking competitive bids in urgent situations.

"In my mind, anytime you have a leaking roof, that's an emergency," district maintenance supervisor Wayne Karpinen told the board.

The current roof is only eight years old and is within the roof's 10-year warranty. Superintendent Dan Leikvold said insurance is expected to cover all but $10,000 of the replacement costs.

Karpinen said he regrets that inspections did not discover the extent of problems, and he said he is concerned that coming cold weather may hinder the re-roofing efforts. "When the sun hits it, hundreds of these pockmarks show up. If we'd have known right away, we could have done the work without worrying about the weather."

In other business:

--  Pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade enrollment is 334, middle school is 171, and the high school 266. Under state legislation approved this year, the school can include the 51 students at the Career and Technology Educational Campus in Nemo in its enrollment. That qualifies the district for $253,000 in state education aid for an alternative high school program once threatened with closure. "We'll have more than enough to finance that program," Superintendent Dan Leikvold said.

--  Logging on school property within the Hearst Subdivision in Lead generated $91,500 for the district.

--  The board approved seeking proposals for a biomass wood-heating system for Lead-Deadwood High School. If approved, boilers will be replaced next summer and the biomass heating system installed in 2010.