Burst pipe damages Battle Ground school

A burst pipe that flooded a modular building with six inches of water at Maple Grove K-8 School prompted the Battle Ground Public Schools board to declare a state of emergency at its Monday board meeting.

A broken water main running to the building’s fire sprinkler caused extensive water damage May 3, district spokeswoman Rita Sanders said. The school, at 601-B S.W. Eaton Blvd., Battle Ground, is also home to River HomeLink, the district’s online school.

Building unusable

The building, known as the “Longhouse,” housed occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy and preschool classes. The building will be unusable for at least a month while repairs are being made.

State law requires the school board to declare a state of emergency in order to sign contracts to repair the building, according to the school board agenda. The board voted unanimously to declare the state of emergency.

“It enables us to move forward with repairing and getting everything fixed so we can get students using it again as quick as possible,” Sanders said.

Sanders did not yet know the predicted cost of repairs, but said they’ll be covered by the district’s insurance.

Maple Grove had 501 students at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s May 2016 count.