Halley vows to fix roofs despite weather, Labor Department

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, December 18, 2003

BY MEGAN MATTEUCCI
Journal Staff Writer


NORTH KINGSTOWN -- All of the town's elementary school roofs are leaking, Supt. James M. Halley said yesterday.

"This problem is due to the snow and rains that followed and the pressure on the roofs," Halley said.

Halley said contractors will fix the leaks as soon as possible, despite instructions from the state Department of Labor not to do any work while students are in the building.

James Larisa, of the Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety, ordered the work not be done during classes after several students and faculty reportedly became ill during roof work.

The School Department is in the process of replacing the roofs at Stony Lane and Forest Park Elementary Schools. However, the work has been temporarily suspended, Halley said.

Halley said he sent a letter to Larisa on Dec. 1 asking him for more information on why students can't be in school during the roof work and asked the state to get back to him by Dec. 15.

As of yesterday, Halley said he has not heard back from Larisa: "I think he only communicates with the press."

Larisa was unable to be reached for comment yesterday.

"Since we haven't heard from Larisa, we're going up and fixing it," Halley said. "We will work on them as quickly as possible."

Students and faculty at Stony Lane were evacuated twice last month because of glue fumes from the roof work. Students were sent home early on Nov. 7, after the fumes permeated at least three classrooms. Although workers had finished the roof work, students were evacuated again on Nov. 10 after teachers again complained of odors. Air tests came back negative.

Workers installed a new roof at Davisville Elementary School in October and at Hamilton Elementary School last year. Davisville Elementary students were sent home during the roof project, after debris and dust fell into classrooms. Last December, Hamilton students had to be moved after tar sealant fumes caused headaches, sore throats and upset stomachs.

About a day of work is left at Stony Lane and Forest Park. Halley said he is unsure when the work will be finished, but the leaks at those two schools could be attributed to the project not being complete.

He said the extreme weather may also have caused leaks at the newly replaced roofs at Davisville and Hamilton.

All of the roofs are under warranty, Halley said.