Manassas News and Messenger reports that the Mayfield Intermediate School roof has been declared unsafe by safety inspectors. According to N & M:
On Monday, Manassas city officials deemed Mayfield Intermediate School unsafe after the roof started to show signs of collapse.
According to city schools spokeswoman Al Radford, a structural engineer has evaluated the situation and determined that the building cannot be used until the entire structural system is evaluated and the compromised structural trusses replaced.
This will require, at least for the next several weeks, that the Mayfield Intermediate School students and staff be housed elsewhere. Staff are working on alternatives regarding instructional settings. Mayfield serves approximately 1,000 fifth and sixth grade students.
Mayfield was constructed before the 2006 school year and houses more than 500 students, according to the school’s Web site.
The question becomes where to the 5th and 6th graders go to school during the time the roof is being repaired? They cannot stay out of school. They can’t go to school in an unsound structure. Will Metz be used to double shift the kids? Can the elementary schools take some of the kids? Things will be very uncomfortable until normalcy can be resumed. “The next several weeks” has an ominous ring to it. Who knows how long it will really be once the snow is cleared up and inspectors and roof repair people really see what is going on.
The following announcement is posted at the Mayfield Intermediate Website:
Also, please be advised that the excessive snow loads from the recent storm have caused sections of the roof structure at Mayfield Intermediate School to be compromised. The school will be closed indefinitely so the entire structural system can be evaluated and the damaged areas replaced. Specific plans regarding Mayfield instruction will be communicated by the end of the week using the Alert Now system and the Mayfield and division websites.
The City of Manassas Schools will have some tough decisions to make that will definitely test the mettle of administration, teachers, staff, students and parents. They are certainly up to the challenge but it won’t be easy.
This school was built 4 years ago at a cost of $30 million dollars. The roof trusses are bucling under the weight of the snow. Was the design faulty? Were the materials used sub-standard? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered.
Mayfield’s principal is Jeff Abt, who worked out of a trailer on the construction site for a whole year before the physical site was completed in 2006. I have no doubt this 2009 graduate of Leadership Prince William will take the temporary loss of his physical site is as a challenge and lead appropriately. I hope, like you said, he gets the support he needs from the Mayfield family of staff, students and parents — and anyone else who’s willing to volunteer. A great opportunity to rally.
Jeff Abt is the best! We loved him at Baldwin. This is going to be a huge challenge, but at least the right person is in place to handle it.
Since the building opened it has had issues with the roof. There have been many leaks, even in rooms on the first floor. Seems as though the roof was never installed properly to begin with. This is definitely a challenge for the city. Most likely the students will need to be housed in several areas since no one school has the capacity to house all of the students.
Doesn’t that describe half the school roofs in Prince William County?
School roofs or roofs in general? It’s possible. Manassas City is looking at the old Marstellar school (next to Manassas Baptist) as a possibile site to house students. A team went to check it out yesterday. I imagine the challenge is not to spread the students out over too many places. The best scenario (if there is one) would be to keep grade levels/grade level teams together if possible. JLC might have space, maybe even Metz or OHS. Baldwin though is pretty packed as is Weems and Dean, though Round might have space. Not sure about Haydon.
Sorry, school roofs. I will correct.
What is JLC? Also what is currently in the Old Marstellar building? Doesn’t a church group own it?
I was opposed to selling old Marstellar from the git go. At the root of the problem was the notion that the school was in the City. Who cares. Notice Bennett was sold because it was too close to the jail. The parents whined and complained about it. Strangely enough, now it is a magnet school of sorts…traditional school, sorry, and the kids are lined up waiting to get into it, the jail risk has vanished.
How much did it cost the tax payers to listen to that whining?
That old Marstellar building was a sweetheart deal given to the Baptist Church next door. The City wanted that building as the population was expanding at the time. Sections of it have been leased to Prince William Hospital. I know the Human Resources office was housed there, as well as some IT functions. Given some of the modifications it has undergone, I wonder if it would now meet code specs for an elementary school.
JLC is the Johnson Learning Center, alt ed building next to OHS. As for old Marstellar the church leases part of it but the last time I was in there I noticed there were still classrooms, the cafeteria and stuff. Don’t know if it has everything to meet the city’s needs but I guess they thought it was worth a look.
City schools are closed the rest of the week. Monday will be a makeup day. I hope they have a place ready for the Mayfield students come Monday.
County schools are also closed Thursday and Friday. No mention of make up days.
It’ supposed to snow Monday!
You ARE kidding, aren’t you, Cindy?
Snow showers
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxdetail/22192?dayNum=5
“Oh the long and dreary Winter!
Oh the cold and cruel Winter!”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Song of Hiawatha, 1855
Someone didn’t believe me about snow showers on Monday either. That all changed when they read the link. 🙂
“There seems to be so much more winter than we need this year.”
Kathleen Norris
Bread into Roses, 1936
Guess Cindy wasn’t kidding.
Good quote, PR.
I am trying to wrap my mind around Snoverkill.
Actually the church bought the building from Prince William County Schools and so owns the whole thing. It even came with all the furnishings, including sewing machines, bandsaws, etc. Some modifications have been made (removing lockers, taking out bleachers in one gym) but there is classroom space, another gym, a cafeteria, etc. Not sure if it would hold all 1,000 students but it is one option being considered. The hospital was renting office space but pulled out and now only uses the small parking lot on the side near the hospital.