Jeannette gym damaged by flooding over Christmas break

The gym floor at Jeannette Junior-Senior High School was damaged after flooding on Christmas but Superintendent Matt Jones said it hasn’t affected basketball games and physical education classes.

A frozen water line and broken sprinkler sent water onto the floor during the holiday deep freeze. City firefighters alerted district maintenance crews and the water was cleaned up quickly. Efforts were made to dry the wood and officials consulted with the company that installed the floor for an inspection of the top layers and subsurface.

“The floor is still playable,” Jones said.

The district is awaiting a response from its insurance company before deciding how to restore the floor to its original condition, he said.

Jeannette was not the only school district that faced damage from water during the deep freeze around the holiday.

On Christmas Eve at Shaler Area High School, a sprinkler pipe burst around dinner time. Water expands as it freezes — it’s the only known nonmetallic substance to do so — and, as a result, can put pressure on the pipes that contain it. As many of those pipes are metal, they also are subject to some expansion and contraction. When temperatures start to warm up, the ice begins to melt and pipes can become damaged or burst.