With the bitter cold snap enveloping Lowell and surrounding communities over the past weekend, many of you no doubt had to deal with the issues that come along with it, including frozen pipes that often burst and lead to major water and flooding issues. Unfortunately, we’ve heard from many residents and businesses who experienced those situations.
The same challenges popped up in a big way for the Lowell Public Schools, which saw five schools affected by a range of issues from failed sprinkler heads to frozen coils on HVAC units. The most seriously impacted schools appear to be the Wang School in Pawtucketville and Lowell High School, which saw both the 1980’s building and Coburn Hall affected. Also dealing with issues, albeit to a lesser degree, were the Robinson, Butler and Shaughnessy Schools.
As you’d imagine, repairs and cleanups were exhaustive efforts, especially given the sheer size of the 6 school buildings impacted. And yet, despite flooded classrooms (10 at the Wang School alone), damaged HVAC systems, pipes and ceiling tiles (not to mention anything else damaged in the classrooms), Lowell Public School students returned to school as they normally would Monday morning.
For that, our city and school leaders and the men and women who work for them in the buildings deserve a hearty round of applause.
From what I understand, there are too many to name without missing someone, from top leaders and department heads, to the “boots on the ground” and even private contractors. Under the direction of Paul St. Cyr on the city side and Ricky Underwood on the school side, everyone involved worked tirelessly through the weekend to ensure a return to school.
Is there still work that needs to be done? Yes, but not to a degree that necessitated any cancellations, as was the fear throughout the day Saturday and Sunday as folks scrambled over a 48-hour period to make the best of a bad situation.
Class was in session Monday morning in Lowell, in all school buildings. That might not sound like a big deal. On Monday February 6, 2023, it was.
