March 19, 2024

Water woes

Clarke Elementary classes canceled early over major water main break

The morning of Wednesday, Sept. 6, a major water main break south of Clarke Elementary forced the evacuation of the school. Parents and teachers alike applauded the streamlined efforts of the staff, who quickly, calmly handled the situation.

“I just want to say publicly how proud I was of everybody in the organization for all the work they did,” said Clarke Superintendent Steve Seid at Monday’s school board meeting.

From administration to food service workers, Clarke staff worked together to streamline the early release or transfer of students from one building to another.

“Everybody had a big part in that. It went very smoothly,” said Seid.

On the city side of things, crews worked nearly 12 hours straight to contain and repair the main break, located at the intersection of Cass Street and Kossuth Street, according to Osceola Water Works Superintendent Brandon Patterson. In July, the city suffered four similar breaks in four days.

“The overly dry weather is causing the ground to shift,” Patterson said at the time, noting main would continue to fail due to drought-like conditions. “It is very likely they will continue to happen.”