Vandalism damage to cost Willow elementary $130,000

Michael Rovito/Frontiersman

Clean up costs, technology replacements and other repairs from an April 12 vandalism will cost Willow Elementary School $130,000, principal Alberta Nordberg said Friday.

The price tag is actually a lot lower than Nordberg suspected after a cleaning bill from NANA Management Services turned out to be lower than estimated, she said.

Twenty-first century teaching tools — computers, servers and high-tech, digital white boards - rang up the highest price tag in the post-vandalism cleanup.

“The brunt of the bill was technology,” Nordberg said.

Other fixes — from new carpeting to bookshelves — will take place during summer break while students are out of the building. Nordberg said representatives from companies handling some of the repairs made their way to Willow elementary this week to take measurements.

Money will go the opposite direction — into Willow as opposed to out of it — May 13 when representatives from oil giant BP present Nordberg and her teaching staff with $1,000 each to replace personal items lost in the vandalism.

Originally, BP offered $500 per teacher, but Nordberg said she was surprised last week when officials from the company called again to offer more.

“It just blew my socks off,” she said.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@frontiersman.com.