RED OAK — Officials say Red Oak Community Middle School will reopen its doors next month, more than four months after flooding shut it down.
Superintendent Terry Schmidt said an inspection by the Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office on Monday cleared the way for the building to reopen Jan. 5. The school was closed indefinitely when a leak flooded the school’s second floor with as much as 2 inches of water, leaking into electrical conduits and creating a safety hazard.
The three-story building just north of downtown is more than 100 years old.
Schmidt says the repairs so far have totaled about $120,000. He expects the total bill to end up about $150,000 by mid-January when claims are submitted to the district’s insurance adjuster.