Koplitz Field House Update

Floor buckle on north end of KFH

As you can see in the picture to the left, we have some serious buckles in the gym floor at Koplitz Field House at South Bend High School, resulting from the severe flooding we had on January 5.

 We have at least three issues related to the floor: "cupping", "buckling", and support damage under the floor on the stringers.  As the floor continues to dry, a lot of the cupping is laying down.  However, the major buckles are not so forgiving.  Fixing these will require cutting the floor and correcting the expanded wood causing the buckle.  We are in the process of doing this as of today.


What Will the Flood Insurance Cover?

The national flood insurance adjuster visited KFH and indicates our claim will contain the following:  complete floor replacement, replacement of all damaged sheetrock/insulation, floor tile/carpet, bathroom stalls, all interior/exterior doors, as well as servicing bleachers and all electrical devices/panels exposed to water.  Though the district has a $10,000 deductible and must also pay calculated depreciation (approximately 10%), we are very fortunate to have the flood insurance policy.  The insurance representatives have been good to work with and quite helpful.

Crack shown in KFH purlin

Structural Problems?

After the flood we noticed specific areas in the building with cracks and separation.  Of course these types of things concern us, and concerned the insurance company as well.  Last Friday, we had structural engineers on site evaluating the building.  Though the engineer did note we may have some structural issues to deal with, he did not think we have any urgent hazards.  He told us it is safe to use the building and there are no immediate safety issues.

Structural engineer assessing KFH

We have ServiceMaster of Seattle on site as of today.  They completed a full building inspection and assessed all possible drying and disinfection needs.  They are making flood cuts in all walls damaged by water and will be drying the walls out.  We hope to have the walls completely dry by Monday of next week.  

We are working with Northern Hardwoods to select our new gym floor.  Though we are able to fix many of the observable buckles, we still have water damage underneath the floor.  We hope to begin gym floor construction in June.

ServiceMaster of Seattle making wall repairs

When Will You Be Able to Use the KFH?

Having one gym down is causing a problem with scheduling classes and activities.  Because the engineer told us we have no urgent safety hazards, we hope to start using KFH for PE classes and practices this Wednesday.  We have Mr. McMurry's construction class and Gary Wilson temporarily fixing the major buckles in the floor.  Though these are band-aid fixes, we will be able to utilize the KFH for these activities once the floor is safe.  We are also planning to hold graduation in KFH as usual.

Mr. McMurry fixing the floor buckles

Thank You for Your Patience

As we move to make repairs to the Koplitz Field House, I would like to thank everyone for their patience and accommodations.  Specifically, I'd like to thank Willapa Valley School District, Raymond School District and Montesano School District for allowing us to use their gyms.  I would also like to thank Phil Davis for his excellent service as our insurance agent.  

We are fortunate to live in such a helpful and caring community.

Major buckle fixed