‘A bright side’: Students and staff to return to Springfield on first day of school

Springfield Middle School students will be able to attend classes safely on campus when school starts on Aug. 26. The announcement came Wednesday after the Wilson County Board of Education met and received updates from administrative staff and the restoration company that has been working on the school since an EF3 tornado hit on Aug. 8.

“The building is safe,” said Wilson County School Superintendent Lane Mills. “It’s ready to be used. It’s the best solution we have at the moment. It will take some patience and flexibility … We’re going to have school.”

The district will be able to utilize 75% of the school thanks to swift decision making and crews working around the clock to mitigate storm-related issues with the school.

“The progress has been amazing,” Mills told the board.

Builder Services of NC, a restoration company, arrived at the school within hours after the tornado hit, mitigating the dire situation. Because of that, students and staff will have some sense of normalcy, school officials said. They won’t have to switch school locations or have classes virtually. Students and staff can all be together, which was Mills’ goal from the minute he stepped foot inside the building after the destruction. Mills said he believes this is what’s in the best interest of students, teachers and families, who have also indicated they wanted the same outcome.

“I think it’s best for that school culture and where they are right now after this storm and this crisis,” Mills said.

Mills told the board the district is working as hard as it can to locate mobile units to get them in place later on in the process. But in the meantime, the district is going to make it work.

He said most of the school is functional, including restrooms, office areas, the media center, the eighth grade classrooms and the cafeteria.

“Is it going to be a normal school?” he said. “No, but it could be much worse.”

‘THERE IS A BRIGHT SIDE’

Ben Bass of Builder Services of NC said the sixth and seventh grade wings were completely destroyed. Bass said crews were able to mitigate, maintain and improve the conditions of the rest of the building within the first 48 hours to prevent any further damages.

Bass said they hope to release the school back to the district by Friday evening. He said at least 300 crew members have worked around the clock. Power is restored. The chief building inspector has been through the school as well as engineers. Heating and air ventilation systems will come back online and take over the temporary systems in place. He said the roof on the sixth and seventh grade wings is being temporarily repaired to keep moisture out.

Bass said the damaged wings will be walled off where no one will be able to access it. He said crews will construct fire walls, which will be painted. He said when students see those walls it will look normal.

“There is a bright side,” he said. “You’re going to be able to use 75% of the school.”

School board member Debora Powell thanked Bass and crews. She said it was amazing how fast they moved.

“We want as much normalcy as possible for our students,” she said. “The reassurance of you standing there and giving us the report is what we need.”

‘ADVERSITY ALWAYS REVEALS TRUE CHARACTER’

Christine Fitch, school board chairwoman, said it’s critical that there’s not a further sense of loss for students, parents and the community as a whole.

“I think that will work for the benefit of everybody to be able to still have them within that same campus,” she said.

School board members agreed.

“Adversity always reveals true character, and I think that’s what we’re seeing now,” school board member Beverly Boyette said earlier during the meeting. Boyette’s district includes Springfield. Board Vice Chairman Henry Mercer said he believes the community will grow even closer than they were before. Mercer’s district includes Springfield as well.

BOARD CONTRACT APPROVAL

The board also unanimously approved a $2.38 million contract with Builder Services of NC to provide disaster restoration services to the school. While contracts over $90,000 have to be approved by the board, Mills was able to bypass that on the day of the storm due to emergency circumstances. That quick response alone was able to give the district an opportunity to get one step ahead. The board has now officially approved the contract.

INSURANCE AND ‘COVERED LOSS’

School board member Blake Boykin wanted to know if the $2.38 million in restoration services would be coming out of the district’s general fund or if insurance would be paying for it directly.

The school district’s attorney Katie Cornetto said the N.C. Department of Insurance, who insures school property, was on site at Springfield and declared that it was “covered loss.” The restorative contract will be paid by the insurance company. She said the insurance company has already pledged an amount for the rebuilding and repairs to the school, which has not yet started. Cornetto said the department of insurance authorized $13 million for the repairs and rebuilding.  She said it’s still unclear if the $2.38 million is included in that figure or if it’s in addition to. She said she will be receiving more information in the coming days. She said the N.C. Department of Insurance has been an “incredible collaborator.”

The district’s insurance deductible is $5,000, she said.

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