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Flooding cancels classes Thursday at Big Picture

Big Picture High School and The Liberty School will be closed at least through Thursday after flooding on the north side of the building.

A main drain pipe got blocked, causing many drainage pipes throughout the building to back up and water to pool on the roof, said Keith Harlan, owner of ServPro, the company cleaning the building.

The building will be evaluated Thursday for safety, and families will be notified afterward whether school will be open Friday, said Julie Popp, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R.

Warm weather Wednesday led to major melting and damage throughout the building.

The water flowed through crevices in the ceiling, through walls, and it was pooling in the crawl spaces, Harlan said.

The roof is secure, but it is likely the carpet, floor tile and ceiling tile will need to be replaced, Harlan said.

“There’s months of rebuild here,” he said. The company has cleaned the Bayfield High School and Miller Middle School this year.

“Eventually, there is going to be silver lining in that the school is going to be fixed up,” he said.

The cleaning company was called about 4 p.m. Wednesday, and efforts to clean the building were ongoing into the evening. The work was planned to continue Thursday and Friday, if necessary.

The district is not looking for an alternative building to hold class at this time, Popp said.

For updated information about the school closing, call 375-3811.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

Jan 14, 2015
Big Picture students at DHS all week


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