Roof Collapse Forces Temporary Closure Of Waterloo School
Lowell Elementary School in Waterloo likely won't be able to reopen until August following this week's roof collapse.
Beginning Tuesday, Lowell's 400 students and staff will be relocated to the former Area Education Agency 267 Conference Center on Cedar Heights Driver in Cedar Falls. According to Waterloo Schools Superintendent Jane Lindaman, structural engineers and contractors who surveyed the damage on Thursday determined that repairs will take months to complete.
Relocation and repair costs have not been determined.
"Obviously this unexpected damage to Lowell is not ideal, but we appreciate Central Rivers AEA offering the unused space at their former facility to accommodate our students and staff through the end of the school year," Lindaman said. "Keeping the students and staff together to continue their curriculum and instruction in one alternate site was our hope. This location serves our needs well considering the nearly 400 displaced students and staff."
According to Lindaman, students who currently ride a bus to Lowell will continue to be transported from their normal locations. Any walkers or students who are dropped off will be bused to the temporary site in Cedar Falls from Lowell's campus each morning, then returned there at the end of the school day to follow usual dismissal procedures.
A portion of Lowell's roof caved in under heavy snow above a classroom Wednesday morning. A winter storm forced the cancellation of classes district-wide on Wednesday, so no one was in the classroom when the roof collapsed.
The city of Waterloo has received 26.2 inches of snow so far this month, already an all-time February record.