BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. — A broken pipe caused about $1 million in damage at a brand new elementary school in Bleckley County, according to the Bleckley County School District.
We previously told you about a $28 million renovation package back in 2021 that included upgrades to their athletic facilities and construction of the new Bleckley County Primary School.
Now, the elementary school accepted its first year of students back in Fall 2022, but this summer, the maintenance team received an unwelcome surprise: a massive flood.
The flooding started last month on June 17, and it took two days for a teacher to discover the damage, according to Stanley Thompson, the district's director of transportation and operations
When the teacher arrived, around 60 percent of the school had been flooded.
The district has hired a contractor, JCI Construction, to help clean up and make repairs, Thompson said.
Despite the damage, taxpayers are not going to be on the hook for the cost of repairs. According to Thompson, the school was under a one-year warranty, so the repairs will be covered by the contractor, JCI Construction.
While the district is still working on some "light" construction, the district is fully expecting to get the school into shape for the start of the school year on Aug. 4, Thompson said.
On top of the new primary school, the $28 million renovation and construction project back in 2021 also included renovations to their "Royals Stadium."
They added a new press box, locker rooms, field house locker rooms, a new concession stand and a restroom entrance on the west side of their football stadium, then-Superintendent Steve Smith told us at the time.