Archbold Middle School Has Plumbing Problems

David Deskins, Archbold Area School District superintendent, said leaky pipes at the Archbold Middle School are becoming a concern.

He told board members during the Monday night, Sept. 24, meeting, that last week there was a leaky seal in one of the hot-water heating pipes in the second floor ceiling. District employees spotted the leak quickly, as water discolored ceiling tiles. If the seal had popped, two floors could have suffered water damage, Deskins said.

Plumbing leaks have been a problem for the last two to three years, he said.

He traced the problem to the age of the original school building and to the fact that when the school was remodeled, new plumbing was connected to old pipes.

Anytime there is such a connection, it's a potential problem.

"It's kind of a time bomb. We're greatly concerned. Every month or two, we've had to fix a huge leak," Deskins said.

The district will soon have to consider major plumbing work at the middle school, which, because of the scope of the project, will probably involve an architect.

Deskins said he and Christine Ziegler, district treasurer, are looking into ways to pay for plumbing work "while trying to hold to a minimum any increase in cost to our taxpayers."