By MADDY VITALE
The Board of Education plans to approve a contract Thursday totaling $393,835 to replace the main and auxiliary gym floors and the weight room floor at Ocean City High School after pipes burst in December due to freezing temperatures, destroying the floors.
A special meeting of the school board is set for 6 p.m. Thursday. The main purpose of the meeting is so the board members can participate in a retreat for a general training and professional development session, school officials said.
“Since we are meeting, we are placing two replacement hires and an award of a contract for repairs to the high school gyms on the agenda so they do not have to wait until the regular meeting at the end of the month,” School Business Administrator Tim Kelley explained in an email.
The contract for the new flooring is expected to be awarded by resolution to The Gillespie Group of Dayton, N.J.
Over Christmas, temperatures dipped and pipes broke on Christmas night, sending water pouring into several areas of the school and causing damage to the flooring.
The breakdown of the costs, which are coming from the maintenance reserve portion of the school budget, is as follows:
- High School Main Gym Floor Replacement $220,978
- High School Auxiliary Gym Floor Replacement $147,192
- High School Weight Room Floor Replacement $25,664
The work will be reimbursed to the district by its insurance company, Kelley said.
“In order to issue the purchase order from Ocean City without overspending budget lines, we needed to withdraw funds from our maintenance reserve,” Kelley said.
The Ocean City Intermediate School gym, located at 1801 Bay Ave., has served as a temporary venue for the high school sports teams to practice and play since the water destroyed some of the high school floors.
First Night, the city’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration offering activities and entertainment throughout the resort, relocated some events from the high school to the intermediate school due to the damage.
However, the high school’s main gym floor was utilized for ice skating, with a slippery surface put over the flooring.
Officials noted at the time that while the floor was not suitable for sports in its damaged condition, if was fine for ice skating.
When the pipes burst, school and city officials immediately went to the scene, along with emergency responders.
The district then worked with its insurance company to assess the damage and determine the cost attributed to it.
The school board meets for its regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the high school.
For more information about Ocean City Schools visit oceancityschools.org.
