Red Rock Elementary in Royal City closed because of frozen pipes, flooding

ROYAL CITY – School was out for the entire Royal School District Monday and may be out a lot longer for the 600 students who attend Red Rock Elementary School.

Frozen fire suppression pipes in the roof-ceiling froze sometime over the weekend. When they thawed, the school’s first floor was flooded, causing damage that wasn’t fully assessed until Monday.

“It’s kind of crazy (around here),” Superintendent Roger Trail said Monday.

The frozen pipe-flooding was discovered early Sunday, Trail said. There was an emergency school board meeting Monday night to determine how to proceed. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Royal High School library.

In a posting on the district’s website, Trail said: “Red Rock Elementary has experienced significant damage due to flooding and will be closed Monday, Jan. 9, and potentially longer.

JRCC (emergency water damage specialists) has dispatched crews from Moses Lake, Ellensburg and Wenatchee to begin immediate clean-up and restoration, Trail reported.

“While we appreciate the outpouring of offers to help, for safety purposes, we respectfully ask you to refrain from entering the building until further notification,” Trail said.

Trail said the district’s insurance provider, Clear Risk Solutions, has been contacted. It was assessing the situation.

Except for Monday’s winter weather shutdown, Trail anticipates that all other buildings will be running on schedule.

The district posted a similar message in Spanish.