Students returned to Whitefield Elementary School Monday where gymnasium lights and wiring will be replaced after sparking a pair of fires in as many years.
Investigators determined that both gymnasium fires, one that occurred in March 2014 and a second on March 27 of this year, were caused by light fixtures that were installed in 1987 with incorrect clearances, said Principal Joshua McNaughton. As a result, the bulbs overheated and broke. When they did, the hot glass fell onto the plastic lens below, which caught fire and sent burning plastic to the floor below. The floor on both occasions caught on fire.
The gymnasium, which doubles as a cafeteria, has not reopened, but the 175 kindergarten through eighth grade students who attend the school were allowed to return Monday after classes were moved to Chelsea Elementary School for nine days.
Chelsea and Whitefield Elementary School are part of Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12.
McNaughton said Whitefield students can still purchase lunch at the school, but must eat those lunches in their classrooms. Physical education is being held inside dedicated classrooms and outside on the basketball court as weather permits.
McNaughton is unsure when the gymnasium will reopen. He was planning an ice cream event for the students and staff to thank them for the smooth transitions to Chelsea and back and for taking the other changes in stride.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our students and staff for stepping up to the plate,” McNaughton said. “The transition has gone extremely smooth.”
McNaughton said the school had all the light fixtures in the gym investigated and found all were installed with the same improper clearances, meaning all were a potential fire hazard. School officials removed all the old light fixtures and installed all new wiring to the lights in the gym, McNaughton said. Heat from the bulbs had melted some of the wiring.
McNaughton said the school paid about $800 to replace the wiring. The school already had an energy contract with Siemens Corporation to replace the lights throughout the building, McNaughton said. The building is being outfitted with fluorescent and LED lights.
“The gym is obviously the priority for us,” McNaughton said. “It will be much more adequate lighting and will save some money as well.”
The Massachusetts company that oversaw construction of the gym expansion in 1987 has gone out of business and the period for filing a claim to recoup losses has elapsed.
Damaged ceiling tiles have been replaced in the gymnasium and the lights will go up during April vacation, April 20-24. McNaughton is still awaiting a timetable from a contractor who will replace the damaged floor.
McNaughton is unsure how much it will cost to repair the damage from this year’s fire, which will be paid by the school’s insurance company. Last year’s fire totaled about $100,000 in damage, he said. There also was the added cost of moving people and material to another school, and perhaps an increase in insurance premiums, that will further drive up the total costs.
“There were a lot of extra hours worked by a lot of people to help us out,” McNaughton said.
Craig Crosby — 621-5642
Twitter: @CraigCrosby4
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