SUN-GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

With less than two weeks before schools in the Williamsport Area School District are set to open on Aug. 26, flooding from the storms that impacted the area the end of last week damaged Jackson Primary School in Newberry and closed some of the roads used by school buses to transport students, prompting changes.

“We understand as a district that there are people in our school district that have sustained damage through the storm Friday and Saturday,” said Superintendent Timothy S. Bowers.

“We’re aware that there are some roads that are closed or damaged. Our transportation department is working on rerouting those bus routes. We understand that even some of our bus pickup locations may be changed due to some of that storm,” Bowers said.

He encouraged any residents who are dealing with issues from the flooding to reach out to the district to discuss their concerns and that the district will help in any way they can.

“We think we have a handle on those areas and we’re making plans to make sure those kids can return to us safely,” Bowers said.

Flooding at Jackson, 2500 Newberry St., caused by a nearby stream damaged the HVAC and electrical systems at the school.

“Jackson Primary School did take on lots of water. We have major work happening there right now to get systems back up and running,” Bowers said.

“You will most likely be running on temporary systems for quite some time. You can’t just get new generators and new panel boxes and new HVAC equipment overnight,” Bowers said.

The district has contracted with ServPro to assist in the cleanup at the school and they have assured the administration that they have systems that will run “just like normal” so that people will not realize that they’re a backup.

“We want to show the public that the building will be safe and secure and will be up and ready to go and that there will be zero impact on your educational process,” Bowers said.

“That is certainly our goal, the safety of our students and faculty,” he added.

No estimate was given on the cost of the damage to the school caused by the storm.

The storm damage comes at a time that the district is finishing up one phase of a major construction project at Lycoming Valley Intermediate School, but Bowers told the board that although some areas might not be totally done by the time the faculty arrives prior to the opening of school by the time students come back, “all of these little spaces will be ready.”

“The cafe will be ready. The classrooms will be ready. All that kind of stuff will be buttoned up and looking good for a successful school year,” Bowers said.