BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Work crews at Edmunds Elementary School in Burlington are scrambling to wrap up their work to repair flood damage before the start of the new school year.
The outdoor playground and all but two of the classrooms on the first floor of the building were damaged by a Fourth of July storm. It dumped about an inch and a half of rain in a short period of time. The water overwhelmed the school's drainage and septic system before pouring into the school. Some asbestos tiles were exposed in the process.
"Parts of the sheet rock, the dry wall rather that you find in the halls would start to soak up. You have to cut part of those off. Also, tiles began to come up because of the water and then came loose and these were kindergarten rooms that had carpet, so they had to be removed," said Terry Bailey, the assistant school superintendent.
Nevertheless, Bailey is optimistic Edmunds will open on time at the end of August with new floors and fresh paint to welcome staff, students and teachers.
