West water-line break compounded by freezing weather
The preschool playground, which had to be dug up partially to access the broken line, still needs to be restored, according to Principal Judy Hawkins.
Also, some of the water seeped into the north end of the gymnasium, causing warpage concerns. Time will tell if the damage is permanent, Hawkins said.
West Elementary shares the gym - and the school building itself - with West Middle School.
The break was behind the northwest part of the building, off 20th Street.
Another impact of the water was the inability to use a set of double doors (located at the rear of the building) to get outside. Devra Ashby of School District 11 explained that “the sidewalk in front of the double doors heaved due to the moisture in the soil below the concrete freezing. The sidewalk has been ground down to allow the doors to open.”
At the same time as the line break, a large amount of ice/slush accumulated along the curb in front of the school at the 20th-and- Kiowa crosswalk. However, the weather at that time also included periods of snowfall, and Ashby said the accumulation was not caused by the line break.
Westside Pioneer article