A local charter school is working its way through an unexpected situation after the roof of its new gymnasium collapsed.
A letter sent by head administrator Jake Kolander to Explore Academy parents stated he was informed of the damage to the roof at 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
In the letter, Kolander wrote that other parts of the middle and high school campus at 6600 Gulton Ct. NE were not damaged.
The school had planned a ribbon cutting for Wednesday, April 10, but having been informed by city inspectors of problems with the roof, it intended to move the ceremony outside or postpone it.
He said the ribbon cutting was to mark the completion of major construction, though the gym was still being completed. The school doesn’t have a certificate of occupancy for the space.
He criticized news reports he said were missing key facts.
“Students were NOT going to be actively using the building this week regardless of the ribbon cutting,” Kolander wrote. “We needed the gas lines to be activated, the flooring to finish being installed, final inspections to be done, etc. I know it was made to seem that kids were days away from using the building, but that is not accurate on anyone’s timeline.”
According to the letter, Explore Academy has hired an independent engineering firm to inspect the building and to stay on through the end of construction.
The firm will also examine the current school building, with students out of classrooms until that inspection is done, Kolander wrote.
“Following that, there will be a plan to shore up existing walls in the new building before we move kids into the old one,” the letter states. “This will ensure students are safe to return.”
Students are expected to return to the campus on Monday. In the letter, he promised to provide daily updates on the situation.
Kolander said the school would file an insurance claim.
Join the conversation about this story on Facebook
Help us grow City Desk’s audience by sharing these stories.