Recent heavy rains have brought attention to leaks in the roofs at two Lawrence schools. District officials said the leaks are related to ongoing construction projects and are being addressed.

The leaks have occurred at Kennedy Elementary and Lawrence High School, both of which are being expanded as part of the district’s $92.5 million bond construction projects. Construction is also underway at Woodlawn and Sunset Hill elementary schools.

“With any building addition, construction involves adjoining two buildings,” said Lawrence schools spokeswoman Julie Boyle. “During this process, there are times when the roof is not 100 percent complete, and leaks will occur.”

This undated photo from a USD497 bond construction update shows work underway at Kennedy Elementary School.

As of Friday, month-to-date precipitation for December was 2.03 inches, more than twice the normal amount, according to AccuWeather.com. Year-to-date precipitation is also slightly above normal amounts.

If there is substantial rainfall while a building is in construction, that’s typically when there will be some type of leaking, explained Kyle Hayden, assistant superintendent of business and operations for the district.

“Largely, that’s just because it’s not complete, and so you’ll have areas of the roof — in particular where the new meets the old — that have not been finished,” Hayden said. “The final application of the roof hasn’t happened, so sometimes it’s just little things like metal flashing that hasn’t been put in yet, and sometimes it’s things that (contractors) just need to go back and fix.”

The leaks at Kennedy and Lawrence High are not the first, as 10 building additions have already been completed as part of the district’s renovation of its 20 schools. The four projects in progress are scheduled for completion within the next few months, and construction at the six remaining schools will begin in early 2016.

Hayden said roof leaks are common, especially during construction.

“It’s happened on a lot of projects, especially if we get a big weather event,” he said.

Addressing leaks is the responsibility of the contractor. Boyle said both the contractor and the district’s facilities staff are aware of the leaks following recent rains, and they will be taken care of as construction continues.

Hayden said issues with the new construction — including roof leaks — can also be addressed in the year following a project’s completion, under what is called the punch-list and warranty items.

“There (are) contractors that will be on site periodically at buildings to fix things that pop up,” he said. “We say, ‘OK, that’s not working the way it was supposed to work,’ and those contractors then come back and fix it.”

South Middle School

Repairs to a cracking facade at South Middle School will likely be made during the summer of 2016, according to Tony Barron, director of facilities and operations for the district.

A structural review at South was completed in October because of some cracking in the brick masonry on the outside of the building, according to the review. The review states the cracking is not a structural problem and appears to be related to the thermal expansion of the brick masonry.

Construction at South was completed in 2007. Renovations to the school as part of the bond issue were completed in August and included a new secure entry and remodel of the front office.

The review states that in some instances, cracks can occur when clay-based brick masonry expands as other cement-based products shrink. Some control joints in the brick at South were also noted to be “significantly compressed.” The recommended repairs are that the cracks in the brick be “tuck-pointed” or caulked and the compressed control joints be re-cut and caulked.

Barron said since the repairs are not immediate structural concerns, they have been added to the district work order system.