PALMER, Tenn. - At 94 years old, Palmer Elementary is the oldest operating school in Grundy County, Tennessee, but the state fire marshal's office said in a recent inspection report that officials must come up with a plan of action or it could face closure.
An inspection June 9 at the school stemmed from a complaint filed June 2 by Rick Rust, chairman of the board of education.
"An environmental study has been done," Rust said Friday in an email. He said he hopes the board can review the results at its meeting set for Tuesday night at Grundy County High School.
"A structural analysis has been recommended," he said. "The board must decide to do this and how we can fund it."
But until issues are addressed, "I personally feel students and staff cannot be back in Palmer [Elementary] safely at this time," he said.
In his complaint, Rust identified issues he found when he visited the school recently, according to documents obtained from the Tennessee Fire Marshal's Office.
"As chairman of the Grundy County school board, I am concerned about the safety of this school. I recently toured the building with our maintenance supervisor," Rust wrote in the complaint.
"Found a lot of termite damage. Raw sewage under the floor and several leaks in the old sewage pipes. Lot of structural damage in several rooms. Floor around edges of some areas have sunk several inches," Rust said in the complaint.
"Over the years, layers of floor tile have been added on top of existing layers and the old tiles would have contained asbestos. There were several places where mold might be an issue," he stated in the complaint.
"My concern is for the safety of the students and [personnel] working there and would appreciate any help you could give as to whether this school is safe for our children," he stated in the complaint to the state.
According to notes in the June 9 inspection with representatives of the school system present, state officials pointed to soft spots in floors throughout the corridors and classrooms, especially around exterior doors and around toilet areas in restrooms.
"It appeared that there was flooring that was taken up or removed near the door in room 309 in order to show some of the floor damage in the facility," the document states. "There is also a potential tripping hazard in the corridor going into where the nurse's office and restrooms are located. The floors in room 316 also appeared to have structural failure, and there were two cracks in the wall in room 317 and a large crack in the exterior wall outside room 313."
The report also noted officials were unable to check the attic but in an inspection of the gymnasium, other issues were found.
"[T]he bleachers appeared to have significant damage due to termites and are not to be used until repairs have been made," the report states. "It is also to be noted that during the inspection of the exterior of the facility, the main exit doors going out of the auditorium to the exterior stairs appear to have significant damage and appear to be sinking and the railing appears to be pulling away from the wall. The exit stairs do not appear to be safe for use and should not be used at this time until proper repairs have been made."
There were additional issues listed in an electrical inspection the school failed because of problems with wiring, outlets, receptacles, outlet covers and problems with relocatable power taps being used as permanent wiring attached to furniture and other structures, documents state.
School officials have until Aug. 9 to submit a plan of action to address the problems, reset from an original June 15 deadline for the plan. A spokesperson for the fire marshal's office said code deficiencies identified in the inspection "are not life/safety issues and are not required to be fixed immediately."
But issues must be addressed if the school is to be used.
The Aug. 9 plan of action should state "whether they will continue to use the building," fire marshal's office spokesperson Kevin Walters said last week in an email. "If they want to continue using the building, some of the deficiencies will need to be corrected or removed before students return to the building in the fall. If they determine that they will discontinue use of the building, no further action is required."
Deborah Frost, director of operations and development for the local group "Rise Up Grundy," said many parents want to save the community's historic school rather than replace it because of the role it plays in Palmer.
"The importance of keeping this school open is vital to this already struggling community," Frost wrote in a letter to Grundy County residents and provided to the Times Free Press.
The situation is being mishandled by school officials, she stated in the letter.
"A high percentage of these children are constantly living through a series of disruptive and difficult transitions from parent to parent or parent to grandparent," Frost said. "For families who are already under-served, under-resourced and vulnerable, many feel forgotten, neglected or deserted. They live in a state of uncertainty without stability, without mentors and without dependable relationships in their lives.
"Palmer Elementary School provides a sense of stability for these children that is critical to help them stay in school and break strongholds of generational drug abuse," she said. "There are many, many [testimonials] from former students of the dedicated teachers and staff who had a mighty influence on their lives."
Frost said $8.3 million in Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds were given to Grundy County that should be used for the repairs.
Grundy County director of schools Clint Durley did not respond to phone messages and emails requesting comment. Emails seeking comment from the other eight members of the board of education also went unanswered Friday.
The problems at Palmer aren't new. Back in 2011, county leaders were wrestling with deficiencies at Palmer and at Coalmont Elementary School, both of which had serious issues to be addressed. The county borrowed $3 million at the time for needed updates.
Frost urged local residents to attend the school board's meeting, where ideas could be discussed before action is taken on the school. The meeting is at 6 p.m. CDT on Tuesday at Grundy County High School in Altamont, Tennessee.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.