Water Fountain Causes Damage, Forces Cancellations

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A flood found this morning at Buck Hard Gym has forced Burlington High School to postpone or move several athletic contests scheduled for this week and also modify physical education classes.

Athletic Director Jeanne Hulsen said school officials are concerned about possible damage to the wood floor after a water fountain was left on during the weekend. Some water also made it into the girls locker room underneath the gym floor, she said.

“Could it be vandalism? We don’t know. Could it be an accident? We don’t know,” Hulsen said.

The initial indication is the flooding began on Sunday. School officials were attempting to determine who the last people in the gym were.

Tonight’s varsity and junior varsity boys basketball games against Spaulding tonight at Buck Hard Gym are among the impacted games. Those two games are now set to start at noon Feb. 18 at Burlington High School.

The Rice Memorial High School vs Burlington girls varsity and junior varsity basketball games set for Tuesday night will be played at Rice instead. The two were scheduled to play at Rice on Feb. 24, but that game will be moved to Burlington High that night.

A Thursday freshman basketball game also has been moved to BFA-St. Albans, Hulsen said.

The four 90-minute block classes of physical education offered on Monday, along with four others offered on Tuesday also are adjusted to stay away from the damage property, she said.

The water fountain just inside the gym’s main door was the problem, Hulsen said. It has been leaking in the past, she said.

 The school did not want to risk pulling out the bleachers onto the wet floor. The flooding also extended onto part of the basketball surface.

She said repair crews began work today to dry out the wood floor and underneath to prevent buckling. She said the locker room also is off limits because of possible water in the electrical system.

Burlington Police said they have not been asked to investigate. Deputy Chief Andi Higbee said neither police headquarters or the department’s Student Resource Officer assigned to the school were notified.

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