Water Main Break At Bloomfield School Creates 'Urgent Situation'

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield’s water woes continued this week with another main break – this time at a local elementary school.

Oak View School will be closed on Thursday due to an “urgent situation” involving a water main break. The school will transition to remote learning on Friday, administrators reported.

Oak View is the only affected school in the district.

Interim principal Michelle Fanning gave more details about the situation in a message to the Oak View School community on Wednesday:

“I am writing to inform you of an urgent situation regarding our school building. Oak View School has experienced water damage due to a water main break in the building. Our maintenance and emergency restoration teams are already on-site. However, to ensure everyone's safety and to allow for necessary repairs and inspections, we must adjust our schedule for the remainder of the week.”

Upcoming schedule changes will include:

• Thursday, Feb. 12 – School is closed. Administrators will be using one of the school’s allotted snow days. There will be no in-person or virtual instruction.
• Friday, Feb. 13 – The school will transition to remote learning. Students should log into their classrooms at their normal start time. Teachers will provide specific links and schedules via email/Google Classroom.

According to district administrators, Oak View School will be open for Chromebook distribution on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parents and guardians should enter through the gym lobby doors on Gamer Avenue to sign out their child's Chromebook.

“We understand that sudden closures create challenges for families and we appreciate your patience as we work to keep our students and staff safe,” Fanning wrote. “We will provide a further update on Friday afternoon regarding any potential plans for next week.”

WATER MAIN ISSUES IN BLOOMFIELD

Bloomfield has seen other recent water main-related headaches over the past few weeks.

The Bloomfield Department of Public Works will be repairing a water main at Montgomery Street and Berkeley Avenue on Thursday, Feb. 12. Water main repairs may cut service to dozens of homes in Bloomfield. Work expected to take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Read More: Dozens Of Bloomfield Homes May Lose Water Due To Main Repairs

On Feb. 3, the town saw its fifth water main break in two weeks when a pipe burst on the 400-block of Bloomfield Avenue.

Other recent water main breaks in Bloomfield have included:

• Jan. 22 – A water main break took place on Berkeley Avenue between Montgomery Street and Jerome Avenue
• Jan. 31 – A water main break took place on Columbus Street
• Feb. 2 – A water main break took place on Rutgers Place
• Feb. 2 – A water main break took place on the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Street

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