LSHS Needs Bailing Buckets Not Buckets of Tar

Today's Sanford Herald's feature story on what happens when it rains at Lee Senior High School leaked out probably the biggest problem for which nay sayers toward the renovations have no easy answer.

Leaks, leaks, leaks. Apparently there are plenty of leaks, but many critics have asked why they just didn't patch the roof with more tar. Let's forget the roof and the leaks. It is the leaks from the tsunamis of running surface water that make the most compelling case for building replacements.

the out-of-date drainage system creates a sea of puddles that crawl together and seep under doors and through tennis shoes as students walk to class. . . . The swamped side­walks are due to the size of the outdoor drainpipes, still the original six-inch­ers when the current standard is between 24 and 36 inches.

The most perplexing problem at LSHS is this outdated system for handling surface water because the pipes run under buildings--the buildings have to come down to give access to the pipes. More than any other factor that tips the scales in favor of the School Board's Plans.
Given enough rain, the grounds turn into a pond with waters rising like a flood to cover walkways and creep under doors into buildings.

But, under current commissioners, there is no guarantee the quarter tax sales tax increase will stop the flood either. That is the signal the commissioners sent when they pulled the renovations for LSHS out of a resolution listing their plans for using the proceeds of the tax. (See the blog!)

More Dispatches on this subject are coming soon.--editior