When history teacher Peter Willis opened his classroom door after a long holiday weekend, he was greeted by inches of water that rose above his shoes.
On Jan. 27, a water pipe burst in room 614, prompting custodian Kevin St. Laurent and three other grounds and facilities staff members to respond, in addition to HVAC technician Joe Hanna, leading the repair effort.
St. Laurent said the maintenance crew received a call reporting that there was water flooding in that room.
“It was a busy day because of the delay,” St. Laurent said. “I asked what I could do, and I was [directed] to check out the leak. When we went in, it was still leaking. We had to shut the main [water source] off.”
The custodial staff handled the matter quickly and safely.
“[The water flood] probably happened in the course of the night,” St. Laurent said. “We had to get a hold of maintenance.”
St. Laurent said that Hanna was the “hero of it all.” Hanna responded immediately after learning about the leak.
“Joe Hanna went down [to the classroom]; he looked at it and found out what [had caused] the pipes [to burst],” he said.
St. Laurent stated that the pipe burst was caused by freezing temperatures the night before.
Despite the extent of the flooding, St. Laurent said, “[cleaning up the water was] a fast process,” and students were able to return to Willis’ classroom by the next day.
St. Laurent said Hanna had fixed the leak “quicker than anything,” and by the time Hanna ensured that the pipe was no longer leaking, “he was soaked top to bottom.”
As temperatures drop across New England, interior pipes can still be vulnerable, even when they are located inside the building.
“[The pipe is] in the closet and it’s an inside wall, [so] it’s better protected,” St. Laurent said. “No one really thought about it. People were complaining because they couldn’t flush the toilets, but the water from the building was shut down.”
By the time school opened, the drying process was already underway, and neighboring classes went on as scheduled.
“Joe and [building technician], Shawn Bryson, are working on a solution for [the broken pipe] because it’s not the first time it’s happened,” St. Laurent said. “It’s something that’s forgotten about because it’s not visible; it’s just a door in a classroom that leads to nowhere.”
Staff members are continuing to review the issue to prevent similar incidents in the future. This was a “great reminder” to Willis, as he acknowledged the custodial staff is always there to help.
“What’s especially amazing is the turnaround time,” Willis said. “[It was fixed] by 6:30 a.m. the next day, less than 24 hours after I discovered the situation. It’s good to know that our custodians are ready to do whatever they can to make this a place where teaching and learning can happen. Bless them all.”
