Flooding on the AGHS campus has been a problem for a long time. Storms bring rain, turning the students and teachers into a school of fish.
“Drainage has been an issue at this school since the first day it opened, and, frankly, it’s always going to be a challenge for us just because we are the lowest point in the area,” District Official Andy Stenson said.
The district plans to continually make improvements to better control flooding.
Former reporter from the Eagle Times, Grace LeVeque, covered a storm on January 9th, 2023. Classrooms 809, 808, and 807 were
all reported to be flooded on the inside. The library was also affected by damaged carpet and floodboards.
Along with classrooms, the 400s and 500s hallway was overrun with water, which made it hard for students to walk to class.
Every time it rains, hall monitors put up small, wooden “bridges” that lead onto the blacktop and toward the library to prevent students from tripping on storm drains or in flooded areas.
The quad also pools water and floods, along with the rest of the school.
English department Head and AGHS teacher Michael Callaghan photographed extreme flooding in the halls.
School officials decided to take action to try to improve the drainage around campus over Thanksgiving break. The Hacienda Construction team focused on enhancing the efficiency of the drainage system, with a primary focus on the corridor between the culinary building and the permanent classrooms.
Principal Brad Grumbles and Stenson are overseeing the construction of the drainage system.
The project plan was to modify the way the downspouts carried water off the roof and into the drains. Originally, the downspouts took the water and disposed of it onto the sidewalk.
“So what we did is we undergrounded [the pipes that the downspouts flow into]… we did sawcutting, and now those pipes that take the water off the roof instead of putting the water on the sidewalk, the water goes underground and into the drain,” Stenson said
The Hacienda Construction company was selected to do this project because they have worked on the school’s drainage system and other amenities in past years.
These improvements are presumably designed to help during the rainy winter season and keep students’ feet dry.
