Winchendon School Committee discusses Murdock boiler malfunction
The Winchendon School Committee had nothing but praise and gratitude for facilities manager Brian Croteau for his response to the boiler malfunction that sprayed soot and carbon monoxide in Murdock Middle School Thanksgiving morning.
Murdock Middle/High School initially closed for Monday and Tuesday, before closing for the entire week. A plan to relocate middle school students to the Elm Street School in Gardner and high school students to Cornerstone Church in town beginning Dec. 4 was announced on Wednesday.
The committee held an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon to address the situation, with the announced intention of getting the facts out, informing the public of the steps taken and discuss plans for the future.
"We are going to tell what we know, and what we anticipate," chair Karen Kast-McBride said. "There is no perfect solution. Our request for remote learning was denied, and moving to another building is not ideal.
"We are focused on getting the students back to school," she said.
Croteau, who is also a lieutenant on the Winchendon Fire Department, reported that he discovered the boiler malfunction early Thursday morning, when he went to open the building for the football game. Croteau said that the boiler that malfunctioned provides hot water to the school during the warmer months when the heating system is turned off. Croteau also said that the boiler was fully functioning and cleaned twice a year.
He also clarified that it was a boiler malfunction, and not an explosion.
Damage limited to hallways and lobby
Croteau praised his custodial staff, noting that they are supposed to close the doors in a room after it is cleaned.
"Every door was shut, and it kept the contamination out of every classroom," he said. "We are extremely lucky - all our doors are fire doors, and they were all shut."
Croteau said that if classroom doors had been left open, the cleanup window would take significantly longer.
The areas damaged by soot include the first, second and third floor hallways in the middle school, and the middle school lobby.
"The nurse's office is directly above the boiler, and we took out all the ceiling tiles," he said.
Croteau said that there are currently 60 air scrubbers working 24/7 to clean the air, and that all the duct work in the middle school is being brushed, cleaned and vacuumed.
"The school is cleaner than it's ever been," he said.
School must pass air quality test to reopen
Croteau also said that he would not give the okay for students and faculty to return to the school until it passes an air quality test certified by an industrial hygienist.
During the public comment session, several parents asked questions about the condition of the boiler, whether or not equipment and theatre props were damaged and what the district planned to do for students with anxiety.
Interim superintendent Ruth Petruno-Goguen said parents who had specific needs should contact their building principal, but said that she would be the point of contact for bussing issues.
Petruno-Goguen said that the staff was doing everything possible to make the best of the situation.
"A crisis happened, and we are trying to make the best of it," she said.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon School Committee meeting on Murdock boiler malfunction
