Middle School Pipe Breaks, Being Fixed Friday

A pipe at the broke this weak, spraying steam for days, and is set to be fixed Friday evening.

Jim Mealey, the business director for the schools, said the 3-inch pipe, about 200 feet into a crawl space in the school's boiler room, has a thumb-sized hole in it.

"It's been a minor problem, other than losing a lot of water," Mealey said. "We've been losing some water and it's costing money."

The break wasn't weather-related, Mealey added. It was because it's old piping. The pipe is being fixed Friday evening, though. Crews will cut out the piece of pipe with the hole in it and replace it with couplings and gaskets.

North Andover Middle School has more than 1,000 students in grades 6 through 8 and was built in 1998 by Municpal Building Consultants Inc. The school has not reported significant boiler problems before.