Amherst schools still recovering from storm
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

The effects of October's 2-foot snowstorm are still being felt in the Amherst Central School District.

Amherst, one of the hardest districts hit, suffered damage to its long-term frozen food freezers and janitorial supplies in the basement at Smallwood Drive Elementary and to the boiler room at Windermere Boulevard Elementary.

"We lost our entire long-term frozen food supply (at Smallwood)," Mark Whyle, the district's director of administrative services, said at the Nov. 7 Board of Education meeting. "The insulation was waterlogged, so they were rendered irreparable.

"They're walk-in freezers," he added. "It wasn't what we needed for the next few days because that's in our freezers in our kitchen, but when we receive federal commodities like hamburgers, they come in bulk and we put the food in those freezers."

For now, the district is renting a freezer truck but discussing other alternatives, including relocating the freezers above ground on district property or renting a facility.

All janitorial supplies for the year at Smallwood were also ruined.

Whyle said the Windermere boiler room was flooded, but once the water receded, the boilers restarted.

"What we need to do from an insurance perspective is find out whether they are back functioning as they should or need to be refurbished or replaced," he said.

Whyle said all damage to the district from the storm is insurable.

"While there would be a cost, our insurance adjuster is pretty confident that everything will be covered by insurance," he said. "What isn't covered by insurance goes to FEMA."

Other than the loss of food from the storm, Whyle said the high school and middle school's kitchens are functioning fine.

Another storm-related issue is how the district plans to make up school days that have been lost.

Acting Superintendent Paul Wietig said the district currently has 181 school days and is working on getting another day. Districts need to have a minimum of 180 student-attended school days in a school calendar year.

Whyle said if the district has to use more than one snow day, it would have to take days from spring recess starting April 13. If the district incurs more snow days that cannot be made up, it would lose between $24,000 and $25,000 per day in state aid.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com