School resumes today at Lakeside Elementary

School resumes today (Tuesday) for Lakeside Elementary students.

Students did not have school on Monday following water damage resulting from a broken pipe to a sink in a kindergarten classroom. The pipe was discovered on Sunday by a custodian.

On Monday, Lakeside Principal John Thies said five classrooms and a hallway were impacted by water damage. The water was shut off to that area of the building, but is still accessible in the rest of the school, Thies said.

In addition to the kindergarten classroom, other affected classrooms housed second- and first-graders in classes with between 18 to 20 students. School staff have come up with a plan to relocate these students to other rooms, with some classes combining, while cleanup continues.

Cleanup is anticipated to continue for the next four to five days, according to Rich Newbury, owner and general manager of Complete Restoration, which was called to the scene on Sunday. Currently, dehumidification and air circulation are the focus. The project does not require any significant demolition, such as removing drywall, according to Newbury. Carpeting in the kindergarten classroom and baseboard trim will be replaced.

Newbury noted the incident as a “fresh-water loss,” meaning the water was not contaminated in the sense that water from a broken sewage line would be, for example.

“We’re in good shape,” Newbury said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.