Ceiling drops at Hockinson school

Mother Nature on Monday tossed Southwest Washington a sloppy one-two punch of heavy rain combined with brisk winds, and late-winter snow.

But the biggest blow landed much earlier, courtesy of the weekend’s deep chill.

Freezing temperatures caused a water line to break on Saturday morning at Hockinson Heights Intermediate School, caving in one classroom’s ceiling and causing water damage in two adjacent classrooms and three other rooms.

No one was hurt after a water line in the school’s sprinkler system broke.

About 50 fourth-grade students were relocated to other rooms Monday, while carpeting and ceilings are replaced in two classrooms. Meanwhile, the broken lines need to be properly insulated, said Lisa Swindell, the school’s principal.

Swindell said she was thankful the collapse didn’t happen on a school day. It’s unclear whether injuries might have resulted with students inside the classrooms.

“I am glad no one was in there,” she said. “It happened very quickly. Nothing heavy fell, but ceiling tiles fell to the floor.”

Constructed in 1992, Hockinson Heights Intermediate has about 455 students in grades three-through-five. It has experienced other water line problems but nothing so severe, Swindell said.

Around six years ago, the school had minor flooding after water lines froze. Damage was minimal.

After Saturday’s incident, as many as four classrooms might need new carpet, Swindell said. The school’s computer lab, literacy room and speech room all suffered water damage. The likely toll includes at least five computers, a projector and sound equipment, she said.

The temperature was 16 degrees at the time the water line broke, Swindell said.

“It’s really odd none of those sprinkler pipes was insulated,” she said.

She’s unsure of the building code at the time and not eager to cast blame, she said.

There was no early damage estimate. Insurance adjusters are expected to be on hand today.

Students in teacher Kristin McEnry’s class have moved to the school’s counseling center, Swindell said. Students in Cindy Waldman’s class have moved to temporary quarters in the adjacent Hockinson Primary School.

It could be three to six weeks before the displaced students return. Wallboard must be replaced in the ceiling and insulation repaired, Swindell said.

She suggested heated tape around the water lines as a potential long-term fix.

Fred Peers, general manager of Cascade Fire Systems, a Vancouver-based fire equipment firm that assisted in clean-up at the school Saturday, said water line ruptures of that type are common in cold weather.

“It’s nothing new,” he said. “They had quite a mess there.”

Fixing the sprinkler system could be as simple as replacing the sprinkler heads, Peers said.

Snow woes

Meanwhile, a winter storm that arrived late Sunday and pushed out chilly Arctic air brought gusting winds and pounding rains that extended to Monday.

No serious water incidents were reported. Vancouver’s Pearson Airfield saw 0.75 inches of rainfall in six hours ending about 10 a.m.

But, soft, sloppy snow began to pile up at higher elevations across much of Clark County and Southwest Washington, continuing through the day.

As much as 4 to 6 inches fell in some areas, sending the Clark County Public Works department into action. Spokesman Jeff Mize said 15 snowplows were dispatched to help clear and sand roads, with crews working into early evening. No road closures were reported.

Plows will hit affected roads again early today if needed for the morning commute, Mize said.

“Particularly for the last day of February, that’s a decent (amount) of snow,” he said of Monday’s slushy event. “I was telling people last week, ‘We’re done’” with snow for the season, he noted.

At least a few school officials and parents probably wish his forecast had been accurate.

Snow that intensified only after 7 or 8 a.m. Monday, depending on location, gave school officials a few headaches. It followed early morning decisions to deploy school buses on their regular routes, when pavement was still bare.

In Hockinson, a few buses were delayed before crews arrived to chain tires.

Same for the far-ranging Battle Ground school district, where one bus that serves Tukes Valley Primary School was hung up for more than two hours on a Berry Road hill, partly due to vehicles that had spun out or were halted in the slick conditions.

The Battle Ground district canceled afternoon kindergarten and held morning kindergarten students on campus until afternoon school bus runs. Parents were kept apprised by district officials of several delays on several routes, said Gregg Herrington, district spokesman.

Hockinson, Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal districts used several snow routes Monday afternoon, while all districts operated on normal class schedules.

Also, C-Tran suspended service between Battle Ground and Yacolt on its No. 47 Battle Ground Limited route due to hazardous road conditions.

On Monday evening, a National Weather Service winter weather advisory remained in effect through 10 a.m. today, with similar conditions predicted.