CAMDEN, Maine — An informal group of men who play indoor soccer will have to come up with $2,500 to pay the school district’s insurance deductible for damage done accidentally to the gymnasium.
During a soccer game inside the gymnasium at the Camden-Rockport Middle School the last week of November, a ball struck and broke a water pipe. Superintendent Maria Libby said at the time that up to an inch of water filled the gym.
A cleaning company was brought in, and industrial dehumidifiers were used to dry out the facility. But the water damaged the floor, with a lot of the wood floor cupped and not able to be used for basketball.
The superintendent said this week that the district’s insurance covered the short-term repairs, which are estimated at $20,280. There is a $2,500 deductible on the insurance policy, however, and the district has billed the men’s group for that cost.
“Sometime this spring we will need to determine if the repair is adequate enough to hold out until the middle school referendum goes back to voters in November of 2017 or if we will need to replace the entire floor over the summer,” Libby said.
Matthew Smith, who participates in the informal men’s soccer group, said the participants agree they are responsible for paying the deductible.
He said between 10 to 25 people people show up at any given time but that the total number of people who have played over the years is much higher than that.
“We have put out word among those who play in our group to ask for donations to help cover the amount,” Smith said. “Therefore our fundraising is likely to be sourced from a larger group of people than the 10-25 that may show up for an individual game.”
The district has asked the group to pay the amount by March 1.