Princeton Times

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July 20, 2012

Community members step in, save Mercer School from water damage

Princeton Times

PRINCETON —  — The water came and came…but not from the sky!      Last Sunday night, July 8, I got a phone call from the Princeton Fire Department that Mercer School was flooded because a main water line had burst. As I approached the school I could see water running out the main entrance! My heart sank! We had just finished a two-year renovation of the school that included refinishing the hardwood floors. When I entered the building it was a nightmare. The cafeteria had over a foot of water standing in it and the hallways and classrooms looked like a war zone from ceiling tiles that had fallen. We had 64 four children coming Monday for our Energy Express program. What to do?

But the Princeton community came to the rescue! The first two people to greet me were Ted Gillespie and Terry Hughes. They were driving by and saw the fire truck at the school. They immediately jumped in, along with Zane Fitwater, Sean Wyatt, and Brian Blankenship from the PFD to clean up the mess. We were soon joined by Shirley Bourne, Keith Atwood, Jonathan Bailey, Kourtney Hughes, and Angela Neal. Jimmy Akers joined in, along with others from the maintenance department. Carl and Jonathan Pruett, and the entire teen leaders group from Glenwood Park 4-H Camp were on the scene next. What a fantastic group of workers. We were able to save the school from any major damage, and Energy Express only missed one day.

I want to send everyone that helped that night a big “thank you”! What a wonderful place this is to live and learn!

Sincerely,

Betty Atwood,

Retiring principal

Mercer School

 

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