Heavy rains Wednesday caused a portion of the roof to collapse, impacting three classrooms in the oldest wing of the school
Oct. 12, 2023 12:09 pm, Updated: Oct. 12, 2023 1:02 pm
A hallway at Francis Marion Intermediate School in the Marion Community School District with standing water after a partial roof collapsed Wednesday evening, Oct. 11, 2023. (Photo provided by Janelle Brouwer)
MARION — Francis Marion Intermediate School in Marion is closed to students the rest of the week after Wednesday’s storm caused several parts of the school’s roof to collapse.
Restoration and construction companies were on-site at the school for third- and fourth-graders in the Marion Independent School District Thursday to survey the damage and determine a cost estimate and timeline for repairs.
Superintendent Janelle Brouwer said a “significant amount of water” overnight Wednesday damaged three classrooms and seeped into other areas of the building. Brouwer said a construction company likely will be working to make repairs to Francis Marion school, 2301 Third Ave., over the weekend.
“It is our hope to get kids back in as quickly as possible. We’re still evaluating what that means for next week,” Brouwer said in an interview with The Gazette.
The district’s other schools will remain open.
The damage was identified by an evening custodian in the school Wednesday, Brouwer said. Notification that the school would be closed Thursday and Friday was sent to families Wednesday around 8 p.m. The closure impacts about 240 students who attend the school.
“We had tremendous response from our staff and our community (Wednesday) night to come and help remove materials and shop-vac water while we waited for the restoration company to arrive,” Brouwer said. “We’ve used the word ‘together’ a lot this year. ‘Together’ we can do amazing things, and I really saw that last night when I pulled in and the parking lot was full.”
Renovations to Francis Marion is part of a facility plan being funded by a $31 million bond referendum approved by district voters in March 2021.
The plan calls for Francis Marion to get a new secure entrance, aging classrooms to be updated and the oldest wing in the building demolished. The $6.6 million project will allow for better traffic flow and new classroom space.
Brouwer said the area of the school impacted by the storm is the oldest part of the building.
Between one to two inches of rain fell overnight Wednesday in Eastern Iowa, with more rain predicted to come this week.
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