CHESTERTON | The extensive repair job done on the Chesterton Middle School this summer was inspected and approved by school officials on the opening day of the new school year Wednesday -- just hours before a chunk of the roof blew off.
Wednesday evening's tornado devastated what Principal James Ton called "a fairly significant repair of the roof."
But the gym and other parts of the school sustained no structural damage, Superintendent Dirk Baer said Thursday.
All Duneland schools, including the middle school, will reopen today, Baer said.
Director of Special Services Mark McKibben said about three-quarters of the middle school roof membrane was torn off, with one-quarter of the roof open to daylight. Gutters and an air handling unit also were damaged or blown off, he said.
There was no water damage to the gym floor at the middle school, Ton said, because crews were able to cover it soon after the roof was breached. Crews continued to work Wednesday to cover the exposed areas of the roof.
Baer estimated it would cost $65,000 to cover the roof in advance of a more permanent repair.
A special sealing was applied to the building over the summer. That job was awarded to contractor Gluth Brothers in April with a low bid of $188,000.
The Duneland School Corp. administrative offices, which occupy the east end of the middle school complex, were not damaged, nor were any other schools in the corporation, Baer said.
Some classrooms at the middle school sustained minor water damage, he said.
"All in all, given the circumstances, we were blessed no to have more damage in terms of the schools," Baer said.
Principal Ton, who also sits on the Town Council, said flying debris shattered six plate glass windows in the school's atrium and sent broken glass into the hallways.
According to Ton, the tornado carried a concession stand from a school athletic field near Porter Avenue and Eighth Street over the building to where it landed on Morgan Avenue.
The storm and damage followed a good opening day of the new school year, Ton said.
"Everything went great (Wednesday)," he said. "The kids were super."
