MEEKER — An incorrect soils classification and other issues may lead to revisions to plans to fix Meeker’s structurally troubled elementary school, officials said Tuesday night.
A preliminary study of soils beneath the $18.9 million school indicates the building is at long-term risk of settling 1.5 to 3 inches, according to a draft report from Denver-based geotechnical engineering firm CTL Thompson presented at a school board meeting.
Wayne Muir of Structural Consultants Inc., which drafted the proposed repairs, said if the settlement projections bear out, his firm is comfortable “it’s not going to adversely affect the structure.”
But Bob Thompson, a senior consultant with CTL Thompson, identified one potential problem moving ahead: He said the soil was classified incorrectly for design purposes. He said afterward that the differences between the two classes at issue were not large, however.
Muir said more study was needed on whether that might change the repair plan. The board hopes to sign off on a repair plan at its next meeting in December.
The school board shut down the school last summer after it was found to be susceptible to collapse in extreme weather and built to the wrong safety codes.
By the time the board ordered the review that reached that conclusion, about 350 students had attended classes there for an entire year.
The Neenan Co., a Fort Collins firm that designed and built the school, has acknowledged mistakes and pledged to pay for repairs. Neenan president Randy Myers — who is meeting with clients across Colorado this week — attended Tuesday’s meeting but did not speak.
Thompson also recommended the district conduct regular soils monitoring and take steps to ensure proper drainage.
At least three other Neenan schools in Colorado have required structural repairs, and three state agencies are either investigating Neenan projects or have asked Neenan to carry out third-party reviews of the structural engineering on its schools.
