CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Northwest High may not reopen on Wednesday after the weekend’s storms flooded the school’s basement with four feet of water, causing extensive damage to the building’s electrical system.
The school was closed Monday and Tuesday as repair crews from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and CDE assessed the situation.
In a memo sent out Monday evening to NWHS families from the CMCSS Communications Department, the building reopening depends on whether or not the electrical system is repaired in time.
“The sump pumps in the basement that failed during heavy rains and power disruptions on Saturday caused around four feet of water to collect in the basement,” the memo said.
“This water caused failures of electrical systems. Today, crews were able to finish draining the water and drying out the equipment. An electrical engineer completed an inspection this afternoon and has identified three components that must be replaced before power can be restored,” the memo continued.
The note to NWHS families also said that the CMCSS Operations Department will make repairs to the electrical system, and that they expect CDE to restore power to the building Tuesday afternoon.
“Because this situation has impacted the cafeteria, over 40 classrooms, HVAC units, internet connectivity, and other critical systems, more time may be needed to test and restore these systems before classes can resume,” the communications note said.
CMCSS expects to update families Tuesday on whether or not NWHS will reopen Wednesday.