Chelsea High School has experienced an unusual week, despite having no students or staff present in the building.
Flies, however, have been everywhere.
On the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 15, Supt. Mary Bourque issued an emergency notice to students, parents and staff, canceling classes on Dec. 16 and 17. The reason: an infestation of flies had overtaken CHS, making it impossible for anyone to occupy the space while crews investigated the source.
By Tuesday afternoon of the following week, Bourque made the decision to close school for the rest of the week at CHS. This meant students would head directly into Winter Break without returning until Jan. 4, while work crews focused on repairing four damaged sewer pipes beneath the slab foundation—the culprit behind the fly invasion.
The superintendent acknowledged to the Record that the decision to close school was not made lightly, and the situation presented numerous uncertainties. She noted, however, that class finals would not be compromised since the term concludes in late January.
“The quarter doesn’t end until Jan. 27 so we’re OK there,” she said. “It’s always a concern with the loss of learning time. We have posted to our website the reading assignments to be done over the break and some MCAS prep questions for 10th graders to try to help them prepare. This was an unanticipated situation that no one could have predicted.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Bourque communicated to staff and parents that they had decided to close school for the remainder of the week to ensure the work could be completed properly.
According to her account, four or five specialized contractors would be involved in cutting through the slab foundation to access and repair each pipe individually. Following the repairs, additional contractors would backfill the excavation and restore the foundation.
“I want you to know arriving at this decision was difficult,” she wrote. “We do not want students to lose instructional time and yet, we are committed to fixing the four pipes thoroughly as well as cleaning the building completely before students and staff return to the building…We expect to be able to reopen Chelsea High School on Wednesday, January 4, 2017. I will provide you with and update prior to reopening. Again, we are grateful for the support of the Chelsea community as we resolve this problem.”
The infestation first became apparent around Monday, Dec. 12, and worsened over Dec. 13 and 14, eventually reaching levels where officials determined the building was unsafe—particularly concerning given that the structure is only 20 years old.
Initially, school officials conducted above-ground searches for the source. When those proved unsuccessful, they turned to video investigation underground, which revealed four broken sewer pipes as the entry point for the flies.
The following Friday afternoon, the school district received approval to proceed with an emergency bidding process to contract the necessary work: cutting through concrete, repairing pipes, and replacing the foundation.
Completion over the weekend seemed feasible, but the project’s scale proved larger than anticipated. After classes were canceled on Monday and Tuesday, contractors encountered difficulties accessing the pipes due to the foundation’s thickness. Cutting operations continued through Tuesday and Wednesday, with the plumber expected to reach the pipes by Thursday, Dec. 22. The pipes, located four feet underground, require excavation. Once removed, a second contractor will deliver and place nine yards of clean dirt to fill the holes.
Should unexpected complications arise, Bourque indicated that Winter Break would provide sufficient time to complete the work and restore the building to operational status.