Water leak causes damage at Vollmer Bowl

Lewiston School District officials are evaluating damage to Sweeney Track and Vollmer Bowl after a water leak inundated the facility over the weekend.

The problem surfaced Saturday when a joint with a 45-degree angle in an 8-inch line for potable water failed, said Lewiston Public Works Director Dustin Johnson.

“Something disturbed it enough to uncouple it and then it let loose,” Johnson said.

Crews had the leak capped and secured by 5 p.m. Saturday, five hours after it was reported, he said.

By Monday, the joint, along with 20 to 30 feet of pipe, had been replaced. The entire job is expected to be finished later this week, including steps such as putting in dirt and gravel around the repaired section, Johnson said.

The city will also continue to look into what went wrong with the plastic line that was installed in the 1990s or early 2000s.

“Of all of our inventory, this is not one that should have failed,” he said.

It appears only one residence was affected by the problem, but the water damaged the track at Vollmer Bowl and a building where the Northwest Children’s Home has classrooms, Johnson said.

The water flooded the eight-lane track that’s about 16 to 20 feet wide, leaving 1 to 4 inches of debris around its entire circumference, said Lewiston School Superintendent Lance Hansen.

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” he said.

The school district is going to hire a company that will remove the silt and other material in a way that doesn’t create more damage, he said.

Once that work is complete, the school district will be able to get an estimate about how much repairs will cost and how long they will take from a company that upgraded the track about three years ago, Hansen said.

The track was refurbished with a rubberized surface in a project that cost about $350,000, Hansen said.

The district is working on a tight schedule, he said.

“I’ve got about a month to get this mitigated,” Hansen said.

Vollmer Bowl is where the Lewiston High School track and field team practices and competes. Practice for the high school team typically starts at the end of February.

Lewis-Clark State College uses it for its track program through an agreement with the school district, Hansen said.

Vollmer Bowl is also used for events such as middle school track meets.

Attempts to reach Northwest Children’s Home on Monday by the Tribune were not successful.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.