Thomas Jefferson Elementary water line to be fixed starting at end of school year

Newton school board members on Feb. 13 authorized the installation of a new water service line at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, which is currently experiencing issues with its water pressure. Warnick Mechanical will replace the old pipes with a four-inch line at a cost of $62,900.

Jack Suttek, maintenance and grounds supervisor for the Newton Community School District, said staff are monitoring the water line on a daily basis. Water pressure is gradually depleting. If more than three toilets are flushed at the same time a sink is running water, then “you’ve got issues out there,” Suttek said.

“We’ve got very low pressure and where the galvanized line comes into the building is stubbed in just by a matter of inches, and right when it comes in the building we got a slow leak right there,” he added, noting the leak is not damaging the building. “But we are required by law to fix it.”

The pressure has not improved. Contractors also have concerns with trying to bore through the ground as there is still about 18 inches of frost to cut through.

The school district is going to schedule the water line installation at the start of summer break, even though Suttek would have liked to have it started and finished during spring break. But the contractors he has talked to do not think that completion date is possible with the frost still in the ground.

Two contractors submitted bids for the water service line project, with the winning bid ultimately going to Warnick Mechnical of Newton. AJ Allen Mechanical Contractors submitted a $72,733 bid. Suttek said both bids were competitive and spoke highly of Warnick Mechanical’s work in the past.

“I love to keep our moneys local as much as we can to keep these local guys working,” Suttek said. “I recommend we go with Warnick.”

As a result of the water line installation, Warnick Mechanical told the school district that the elementary school’s circle drive may be shut down for two days.

Extra costs may be charged as the project goes on. When it comes to capping off the old water main, the contractor will not know the cost until it is dug up and the water department determines whether the key needs taken out of the main line. If the tee is OK, Warnick Mechanical will cap the line off in the base bid price.

When school is out, the maintenance department is going to start the project at full force, Suttek said noting the past water line trauma at Aurora Heights Elementary School in the 2018-2019 school year is still fresh in his mind; there was no water for three days at the start of the new school year.

Newton News reported in 2018 that a break in the water line on Aug. 21 filled heating tunnels that run underneath the building, causing water damage to at least one classroom at the elementary school before the problem was discovered. Although the water was shut off, the main needed replaced.

While the plumbing was being repaired in 2018, students used hand sanitizer to wash their hands and took bathroom breaks at the neighboring Church of the Way.