In about 30 days, students at Parkview High School will be able to use the school’s gymnasium again, after completion of repairs from a water leak.
Josh Scott, director of athletics and activities for Springfield Public Schools, said a final coat of varnish was applied Friday, Feb. 9. The varnishing was the final step in repairing about $350,000 in damage from a water leak discovered in October.
All that remains is a 30-day curing time for the varnish.
“As soon as we can walk on it, we’ll open it up for P.E. classes and spring off-season conditioning,” Scott said. “We’ll go to regular use 30 days from now.”
Scott said the leak caused so much damage because the water traveled into the gym through hidden passages.
A pipe in the wall between the women’s locker room and the stage sprung a leak, Scott said. The leaking water traveled low enough to pass underneath the stage, where the school’s wrestling practice room is.
In the process, water from the leak seeped from the wall to the bottom layers of the gym floor, traveling up through a layer of corkboard and eventually warping the wood on the floor. Scott said the leak was likely at work for a few weeks before members of the Parkview volleyball team detected a problem with their home court.
The closure of the court disrupted the school’s basketball season. The Vikings' home games were played at Hillcrest and Central high schools.
Much of the repair cost was covered by Springfield Public Schools' insurance, Scott said.
