Even before Tuesday’s EF-1 tornado tore through Kewanee, school district employees were dealing with the aftermath of a storm that damaged the roof at Kewanee High School.
“We had a catastrophe,” Supt. Rebecca Baney told the Kewanee School Board at its meeting Tuesday.
During Sunday’s late-night storm, Baney said, the wind tore solar panels off the roof over the band room and H.F. Brockman Gymnasium.
That left holes in the roof where the panels had been anchored.
Baney said water leaked into the band room and some classrooms. Music Director Alex Binek came to the school and moved band instruments out of the way of the leak, she said.
And the school district maintenance staff took swift action to keep the water from leaking onto the gym floor. Baney said the crew’s “major effort” saved the floor.
School officials called ServPro, which sent a crew to the school Tuesday to begin repairs.
The wind Sunday night also blew some solar panels off the roof at Central School, but there was little damage to the interior of that building, Baney said.
Baney said that on Tuesday, “I spent the whole day with the insurance adjuster.”
Baney also said that the school district is doing what it can to help people impacted by Monday’s tornado. A hotline was set up for anyone needing assistance, and the district has been offering a charging stations for people without power who need to keep their cellphones going.
Also Wednesday:
— Baney reported that Keith Edwards, the city’s economic development director, had advised her that no special permit is needed for the solar installation planned for the area south and east of Belle Alexander School.
Plans announced last month are for installation of the solar arrays to begin next month. The company building the arrays has agreed to fund $10,000 a year in scholarships for graduating seniors.
— The board approved an agreement between the school district and the city for police school resource officers. Under the agreement, the district pays 75 percent of the officers’ salary and clothing allowance.
Baney said the new agreement provides for a second officer to work in the schools.
— Personnel actions included naming Marcus Throneburg as coach of the new Central School golf team, and Colton Philhower as a volunteer assistant golf coach.
And Tyler Russell was moved from seventh grade boys basketball coach to eighth grade coach at Central. Corey Tavares was hired as the new seventh grade coach.
