School facing tight window to fix loose roof

July 17, 2024 |

A portion of the roof at Midwest City High School has slide out of place following severe storms late last month. The district is making emergency repairs before the start of the new school year. Photo provided

Crews working to repair MCHS before start of new school year

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

Midwest City High School was heavily damaged during severe weather last month.

School officials are working to make sure the building is repaired in time for the new school year.

A roof over the commons area of the high school was damaged in the storm. The high winds caused the angled roof to slide out of place.

With school due to start in less than a month on Aug. 12, the district doesn’t have time for a permanent fix.

“The engineer has come up with a solution to make sure that the roof is fastened and in place and that’s really what we’re going for,” said Mid-Del Superintendent Rick Cobb. “We believe that we’re going to get it done before school starts but there’s not a lot of time and not a lot of wiggle room.”

The school board approved temporary repairs during an emergency school board meeting last Thursday afternoon. The board authorized up to $150,000 in repairs.
Representatives from CMS Willowbrook, the district’s construction contractor, and KFC Engineering, outlined the damage to the roof and their plans to repair it.

The district plans to replace the entire roof next summer.

Cobb said an insurance claims adjuster inspected the roof on July 1 and told the district that they needed a structural engineer to look at the building before letting anyone back inside.

“It’s moved on one side about seven inches and on the other side about two to three inches,” Cobb said.
School districts are required to use a competitive bidding process for projects such as roof replacement. The district can bypass the bidding process by declaring an emergency. A full replacement of the roof will need to be bid.

The district is working on a contingency plan if the school is not ready for the first day of school. Cobb said that they could relocate classes to temporary locations in the area or shift to virtual learning days.

“If we do (use a contingency plan), we’re hopeful that plan is only necessary a week or less,” he said. “We don’t want to delay the first day of school.”
School board members agreed with the need to move quickly on the matter.

Shelly Schultz, school board member, expressed concern about whether the roof could handle another storm.

“I’m really concerned that this is not going to withstand another storm and I’ve got to protect the kids,” she said.

Larry Curtis, KFC Engineering, said they must follow all building codes to ensure the roof is secured.

School board president Ed Daniel asked if any of the temporary repairs could be used as part of the permanent roof replacement. Curtis said it was too early to tell.

The main school building will not be accessible during this time. Other parts of the campus including the Performing Arts Center, JE Sutton Fieldhouse, small gym, band room and Midwest City High School History Center will be open.

The commons area joined two older parts of the building together. The roof was built in 1979 and replaced in 2008.

School officials met with the City of Midwest City on Friday morning to discuss the plans.

“The city was receptive to the plans that were presented to us yesterday at the board meeting. (Structural engineer) Larry (Curtis) reiterated that the pillars are in good shape and so is the truss that sits on top of them,” Cobb said. “Nothing in this meeting made me think the timeline presented to us yesterday isn’t possible. In fact, the city officials made it sound like they’d do whatever they can to help us get all the approvals we need.”

Mid-Del School Board members Ed Daniel (Left) and Shelly Schultz (Front) discuss proposed emergency repairs to the roof at Midwest City High School. Photo by Jeff Harrison