Haverhill: Water, water everywhere Schools with leaky roof, broken pipes interru

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Haverhill: Water, water everywhere Schools with leaky roof, broken

pipes interrupt learning and anger parents

Published: February 13, 2008

Eagle Tribune - North Andover,MA*

By Regan

Staff Writer

http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_044005829.html

HAVERHILL — Tilton Elementary School parents said their children sit

in classrooms surrounded by buckets of water and, the moms and dads

fear, moldy air due to leaks in the roof of the 118-year-old

building.

At Consentino Middle School, the water is coming from within rather

than above. Students got an unexpected day off Monday when the

school's only functional boiler broke down after several heating

pipes burst due to the cold.

Consentino Principal Scully said 13 areas in the school had

water damage, including the gymnasium, cafeteria and several

classrooms.

Heat was restored yesterday, but Scully said eight plumbers spent

Monday and yesterday repairing the broken pipes. The problem was

made worse because the building's backup boiler has been broken for

several years and he does not know when, or even if, it will be

replaced.

Those are two examples of aging Haverhill schools with problems that

are interrupting learning and angering parents. They are demanding

city leaders end the problems, which comes down to money — something

city leaders said they do not have as they face a deficit of nearly

$6 million this year.

Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan said Tilton, which was built in

1890, is in the worst shape of four Haverhill schools with leaky

roofs. The others are Greenleaf, Cogswell and Crowell elementary

schools.

The School Department does not have money to replace the roof at

Tilton or any other school, or the backup boiler at Consentino for

that matter, Buchanan said.

The Tilton parents said the problem of the school's badly leaking

roof has been " continually pushed under the rug. " They are demanding

city councilors, School Committee members and Mayor Fiorentini

work together to replace the dilapidated slate roof that

was " patched " two years ago.

" Students are sitting in classrooms with buckets next to them on the

floor collecting water, " Tilton parent Ann wrote in an e-

mail to school and city officials. " Light fixtures are filling with

water. I'm sure there is a mold problem in the ceilings. This is not

safe. What happens if part of the ceiling falls in? Would you want

your children in a classroom that is unsafe? "

" A plan needs to be put into action and not continually pushed under

the rug, " wrote.

Parent said she also fears there is mold in her

son's classroom.

" I have a real problem when my son comes home and tells me that the

bucket next to him is filling up with water, and that some of the

light fixtures 'flicker " ' from water damage, wrote in an e-

mail to several School Committee members.

Parent D'Urso said her daughter's third-grade class was

disrupted all last week by a leaking ceiling while the students were

preparing for the upcoming MCAS test.

" Unfortunately, her desk is directly underneath one of the many

leaks in Ms. Alves' classroom, " D'Urso wrote in an e-mail to School

Committee members. " Please find a way to show Tilton School families

how important education is to Haverhill, as the current classroom

status is unacceptable. "

Tilton's poor condition was raised last night at the City Council

meeting, which was attended by several parents and Tilton Principal

Sierpina.

Sierpina said the school's 640 students are not getting the same

educational opportunity as other children in Haverhill their age.

" We're in bad shape, " Sierpina said of the 70 Grove St. school.

The mayor expects to find out later this week whether the Tilton

roof needs " a $1,000 fix " or " a $1 million replacement. " He said a

roofing company will inspect the roof as soon it is safe to climb up

on it. It has not been safe in recent days to climb on the roof due

to ice, the mayor said.

" There is discoloration on the floors that looks like mold, and

there could be some mold in the walls and ceilings, " Buchanan said

of Tilton. " But I can't say for sure that it is mold. "

Fiorentini said Jeff Dill, the city's maintenance director, told him

his workers performed " mitigation action " yesterday to temporarily

plug leaks on Tilton's roof. The city does not plan to test the

building's air quality, the mayor said.

" Jeff said he saw no evidence of mold and that he sees no need for

an air test, " Fiorentini said.

Buchanan said he was told Tilton needed a new roof when he was hired

as superintendent two years ago. At the time, the decision was made

to patch the Tilton roof and replace a roof in even worse condition

at Whittier Middle School, he said.

" The mayor was told when Tilton was patched two years ago that it

was a temporary fix, " Buchanan said, " that it may only last a few

years. "

Buchanan said the city cannot afford to lose Tilton as a school.

" We've got 640 kids at that school, " he said. " If someone ever came

in and told us we had to move kids out of that school for health or

safety reasons, we'd have a real crisis on our hands. There are 29

rooms in that building that we have to have. "

School Committee President Kerry Fitzgerald said Tilton's roof must

be replaced, but that such capital improvements to city buildings

fall under the authority of the mayor and the City Council. She has

encouraged Tilton parents to contact the mayor and city councilors.

It would cost at least $850,000 to replace Tilton's roof, according

to a 5-year-old estimate, Fitzgerald said.

" Considering the financial situation the city is facing in the next

few years, I suspect they will not be able to afford to replace the

roof until the finances ease up, " Fitzgerald said. " The Tilton

parents complain about the roof at budget time every year. "

A tall chimney on Tilton's roof is also in danger of falling into

the building, the school principal said. If it does, it would fall

directly into the nurse's office, Sierpina said last night.

City councilors were alarmed by the news of the chimney and asked

the mayor to look into it.

" You're playing with human lives, " Councilor Quimby said,

addressing the mayor.

Staff Writer Tait contributed to this report.

Water above, water below

Water is leaking from the roof of Tilton Elementary School, where

buckets catch water drops is classrooms.

Water flooded classrooms, the gym and cafeteria of Consentino Middle

School this week.

Leaky roofs at three other schools — Greenleaf, Cogswell and Crowell

elementary schools — also are causing problems.