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Pipe Flaw Caused Rushe Leak

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: December 19, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - It could take several months to replace Rushe Middle School's gymnasium floor, which was damaged over the weekend when a pipe burst beneath it, school district officials said.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said the copper pipe was installed incorrectly when the school was built. Rushe Middle opened in 2007.

A coupling on the pipe was defective and the pipe burst, flooding the gymnasium, along with administrative offices and some classrooms.

The problem was discovered Sunday morning when the school was opened in preparation for a weekly service held by a church that leases space in the school, Fiorentino said.

Water stood about 3 to 4 inches deep, she said.

The middle school quickly became a beehive of activity Sunday as workers tried to clean up the mess so students would have a safe, dry environment when they arrived for school Monday morning.

In addition to its own maintenance crews, the district called out Simpson Environmental Services to assist with the cleanup.

"The good news is it was the week before the winter break," Assistant Superintendent Ray Gadd told the school board this week.

Students will be off for two weeks beginning Monday. Repair work will continue over the break, but it will be a few months before the gym floor is replaced, Gadd said. The floor was destroyed and had to be ripped up, he said.

Rushe Middle is a three-story school and the same design was used at Crews Lake Middle in Shady Hills.

Fiorentino told the school board that district officials checked to see if there might a similar pipeline problem at Crews Lake, but that school appears to be fine.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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