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Ask the Superintendent -
February 20, 2008
On February 13th, the region was hit by a very
complex winter storm which arguably could have been
the worst storm of the season. The snowfall which
was approximately 3-5 inches wasn’t that bad, but
what followed made for a dangerous and damaging
storm; sleet, freezing rain and then torrential
rains.
School closing came quickly, mainly as a result of
icy road conditions and flooding. At about 9:00
a.m., Jim Riley, our Superintendent of Buildings &
Grounds, Donna Weyant, the Director of
Transportation, and I received a phone call from Art
Lange, The BOCES Risk Manager/Coordinator of Health
& Safety, alerting us to the fact there was a
County-wide alert for the potential of flat roof
failures due to the weight of ponding water.
It seemed that the combination of snow, sleet, and
freezing rain had blocked the ability for this type
of roof to drain the accumulation of heavy rains.
Water weighs eight pounds per gallon and at the rate
the rain was falling, it wouldn’t take long before
this weight would threaten the integrity of a roof.
As it was, all of our flat roofs were leaking in a
variety of places from the build up of water.
To the rescue came our maintenance and custodial
personnel. The custodians worked tirelessly removing
snow and ice from the entrances and clearing drains
around the buildings to allow water to find a path
away from the schools. Our maintenance teams worked
all day on the roofs of our flat roofed buildings
(six in all) creating “canals and pathways” to
enable the water to reach all of the drains. They of
course first cleared every roof drain on each
building.
The rain was torrential with more than two inches
falling during the day. It was also cold and men
weren’t shoveling snow, but a combination of heavy
slush.
Their day was a long one. I know, because I was
talking with Paul Kowalczyk, Head of Maintenance,
before 4:30 a.m. when the maintenance staff was
plowing the High School parking lot. These men
worked more than a 12 hour, in very difficult
conditions, totally soaked in an effort to prevent
what could have been a major disaster for our School
District.
Jim Riley and his crew should be commended for a job
well done. Their work often goes unnoticed because
they are so efficient at what they do and operate
“behind the scenes.”
We extend to them our appreciation and a big Thank
You!
Roy Reese
Superintendent of Schools |
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