Before students and staff returned to MHS at the start of fourth quarter, most of the contents of every room and office were moved around or boxed up. After work is completed this summer, the building will have a new look.
The Marsaline
In the summer a combination of subcontractors will be working on MHS to get it ready for the 2022-23 school year to repair damage sustained during the Nov. 17, 2021, fire that started in one of the art rooms. While only one art room was damaged by the actual fire, the rest of the building was damaged by smoke.
“The duct work was cleaned twice due to damage from smoke,” said Assistant Superintendent Terry Lorenz.
Not only was the building damaged, but many of the items in it were also damaged.
“Computer and electronic equipment were damaged, and we are still coming to final arrangements to the cost of that,” said Lorenz.
ServPro was a part of the cleanup crew and was great to work with and good at communicating, said Lorenz.
A tremendous amount of work had to be completed for the students and staff to be able to return in March. The biggest part was cleaning and making sure the walls, electrical system and lights were secure. Making sure there was a safe environment was important.
“Johnson Control will be doing the fire alarms, and the LED lights will be done by Steve Mills from Marshall Electric Company,” said Lorenz.
Everything in both of the art rooms will be replaced. The art room where the fire started was gutted. In addition to remodeling the art rooms, the school will install new ceiling tiles, rehang cameras and projectors, and add vape detectors and items for the FACS classes. LED lights, alarm systems, new paint and floors are some of the major items that are on this summer’s to-do list.
“The prices to repaint the walls and get new flooring is not approved yet, but we’re hoping to get them approved in this month’s board meeting,” said Lorenz.
Insurance is covering everything except the paint, some of the flooring and a new fire alarm system. The overall cost of everything being done with insurance should come out to under $3 million.
“Nothing has been finalized yet. Insurance and ServPro are back and forth, and the price could change quickly. That may not be enough to cover everything,” said Lorenz.
However, the work is expected to be completed by the start of the 2022-23 school year.
“There is such a strain on the supply chain that giving an accurate answer is difficult. The hope is to have it completed by the end of summer,” said Lorenz.
The extent of the damage still is unknown. Some items, like electronic equipment, have not been reinstalled yet, so the effect of the fire can’t be assessed yet. The insurance company will take care of replacing those items, if necessary.
The long-range plan is for teachers to put their classrooms together and move their belongings back into the building before the 2022-23 school year. Lorenz said maintenance and custodial staff, along with the summer work crew, would be primarily responsible for moving teachers’ boxes back to their rooms, although plans have not been finalized.