St. Mary Catholic school in Columbus’ German Village is facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after a sewer collapse led to a couple feet of combined sewage and stormwater backing up into the school.
Gina Stull, principal at St. Mary, said that the recent deluge of rain led to a sewer collapse in the nearby area on May 22 which required the building to be evacuated after sewage began coming back in the building. She said the basement was filled with up to three feet of sewage.
The crisis forced the school to close early for the year, as it is currently not safe for students to be in the building. Families were invited to come by the building on May 29 to collect their students’ belongings. Stull said the flooding will also prevent the school from using the building for its summer programming.
“Thank God he’s given us sunshine these past couple of days; I can’t take more rain,” Stull said.
The Dispatch previously reported that the May 22 sewer collapse in German Village caused flooding throughout the neighborhood and will require over a month of work to repair.
In 2024, St. Mary was fully renovated and expanded for over $18 million. Stull said that the school will have to do reclamation on the building, including tearing up drywall and flooring.
Stull said she isn’t sure the school will be able to have all the repairs done by the next school year. She said she is grateful that city of Columbus officials have visited the school and said they will do everything they can to help with the insurance claims process.
Stull compared the situation to the COVID-19 pandemic, which she said at least wasn’t physical damage. She said the children are the most impacted by the damage, especially those who participate in the school’s summer program.
“It’s the physical toll it takes that’s really difficult, and I feel really bad for the kids,” Stull said. “I certainly don’t want students in these buildings right now.”
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sewer collapse floods St. Mary school in German Village, forcing closure
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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