Superintendent Christian Elkington gave an update on the gymnasium leak during the RSU 9 at the Aug. 27 meeting, seen here Aug. 28 with assistant superintendent Monique Poulin in New Sharon. Rebecca Richard/Franklin Journal

FARMINGTON— Superintendent Christian Elkington reported on a successful start to the school year at the Aug. 27 board of directors meeting, highlighting the preparation and planning that went into the first two days. “I think the first two days were well planned,” Elkington said.

In an email sent earlier, Elkington provided an update on the superintendent’s office move to a new location on Main Street in Farmington. “I am happy to say that the space we were using at Mount Blue Campus is now being used to support student programming in multiple ways,” he stated in the email. “We have found that being available to people on Main Street in Farmington has reduced visitors to Mount Blue Campus, thus improving safety. It’s also easier for staff, parents, community members, and vendors to come and meet with us.”

At the meeting, Elkington addressed the ongoing situation at Mount Blue Middle School [MBMS] regarding a gymnasium leak that has raised significant concerns. “We still don’t know a definitive reason for the breakdown of the system,” Elkington stated. “We do know there was a leak caused by rust, a very small pinhole leak, but we don’t have a definitive answer on why the system didn’t report that the water was going through and that the sprinklers, in theory, had been turned on in the gym.”

The superintendent explained that there are several theories being considered, including the possibility that the water level did not fully fill the pipes, preventing the sprinkler system from activating properly. “If only an inch and a half or two inches of the pipe filled with water, then the flange holding back the water might not have gone all the way up,” he explained.

Elkington expressed concerns about the system’s failure to alert the school’s security company, Norris, in a timely manner. “We started getting messages that the system was on about eight to 10 hours after the initial water started to go through the system,” he noted.

The superintendent also praised the response from the district’s insurance company, which has been supportive throughout the situation. “The insurance company has been great. They were there Sunday when this was happening, in the afternoon,” Elkington said. “They’ve said, ‘Do what you need to do. We know it’s a school, do what you need to do.’”

Regarding the next steps, Elkington mentioned that the demolition of damaged materials has costs estimated at around $38,000. “That’s just to take all the damaged materials and pieces out of there,” he said. “We’re now looking at the rebuild, and we have reached out to three companies, but only one has gotten back to us so far.”

The superintendent also mentioned ongoing air quality concerns in the gym and basement areas. “We have plastic up because there were air quality issues,” he said. “Before we would put anybody back in there, we would have an independent contractor come in and recheck the air.”

Principal James Black of MBMS highlighted the efforts of the middle school staff in adapting to the situation. “Over the last five or six days, a shout out to middle school staff, everybody has come together,” Black said. “We’ve managed to utilize different spaces, and moved some folks to high school offices. It is going to be a little cramped, but fine.”

Elkington further informed the board about the possibility of needing a full renovation of the gym floor, which could cost up to $300,000. “That is maple on there, and there’s a lot of work that has to go along with that,” he said.

In response to a question from the board about the age of the floor, Elkington stated, “We are not sure, it may be the original floor, we don’t know. It is an older building.” He added that the insurance company is sending an engineer to examine the fire suppression system and that the rest of the system is still functioning.

Chair Dorothy “Dee” Robinson closed the discussion by expressing hope for positive updates in the future. “We look forward to the updates and hope they are good ones,” Robinson said.

The next steps will involve more inspections, possible repairs, and continued efforts to ensure the safety and functionality of the school facilities.