Correction: This story has been updated to show that Monticello Trails Middle School was one of the schools heavily impacted by this spring’s storms.
After dealing with two spring storms, USD 232 in De Soto is facing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to replace equipment and property.
At the July 1 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent Alvie Cater gave the board an updated report on the damages incurred to district property during the spring storms, including one packing an EF-1 tornado on May 19.
The report was not discussed at the meeting.
Damage came from two storms earlier this year
On March 13, a storm, dubbed “extremely unusual” by the National Weather Service, hit large swaths of Johnson County, including the eastern parts of the school district.
During that storm so-called four-inch “gorilla hail” was reported by some residents.
Two months later, on May 19, Johnson County was hit by a late-night severe thunderstorm that included a tornado with wind gusts of up to 110 miles per hour and hail up to the size of quarters.
That storm damaged both Mill Valley High School and Monticello Trails Middle School, according to USD 232 Board of Education documents.
Some damages have been assessed
According to Brian Schwanz, Chief of Operations at USD 232, they have quotes for repairs and replacements covering nearly $350,000 worth of damage so far, including:
- $268,952 for a new rooftop unit at Mill Valley High School. During the tornado, a 14,000 pound rooftop HVAC unit was moved off of its foundation, causing damage to it and the roof. It also cost an additional $26,800 for the Gardner-based BCI Mechanical to get a crane and move the unit to assess the damage to the unit and produce a quote for repair or replacement. Because of its long lead time, a new unit will need to be ordered by Aug. 1, district officials say.
- $29,945.50 for a new stadium scoreboard at Mill Valley High School. The previous one was a total loss. Because the lead time on a new board is 10 weeks, the board had to order a replacement immediately. The new scoreboard is expected to look exactly the old one.
- $23,405.50 for replacement of a section of the Mill Valley High School baseball scoreboard.
- $12,096 for the Mill Valley High School main gym floor. Damage to the roof caused rain and water to leak on the floor. In June, ACME flooring was able to remove it and install new flooring to the damaged pieces of wood.
No school today, Monday, May 20, 2024 at Mill Valley high school due a suspected gas leak as a result of last night’s storm. pic.twitter.com/Wpp1ru5vOV
— 𝒟𝓇. 𝒞𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝒢𝒾𝒷𝓈𝑜𝓃 (@USD232super) May 20, 2024
The district is waiting on other assessments
Meanwhile, further quotes are needed for the following repairs:
- Hail damage on the roofs of Mill Valley High School and Monticello Trails Middle School. The district has been working with the insurance company and adjuster since the hailstorm on roof damage, according to district documents.
- Damage to the roof of the North Fieldhouse at Mill Valley High School is still being examined. The district’s structural engineer determined that due to extensive displacement of the wood-truss roof framing, a full removal and replacement of roof trusses and roof is needed.
- After being destroyed in the tornado, new ticket booths at Mill Valley High School are being constructed, with a completion goal of Aug. 31, just in time for football season. The cost for those was not listed in district documents.
- The district is also waiting on assessments for damage to tennis bleachers, stadium and tennis court fencing, the stadium sound system and athletic equipment and uniforms.
What’s next?
- Once insurance approves reimbursements for the damaged property, it will be ordered and replaced.
- Time-sensitive property with lengthy construction time, such as the stadium scoreboard and scoreboard section have already been ordered so they can be installed by the start of the school year.
Go deeper: Schools closed, power still out for thousands in JoCo following storms
