About 28 feet of cast-iron pipe will be replaced at Somers Middle School after discovering water damage in a crawl space beneath the kitchen, cafeteria and maintenance room.

“There started being this horrible smell that went all through the school,” Somers-Lakeside School District Superintendent Joe Price said.

People noticed the unpleasant odor around December and several months passed before the smell was finally traced to the waterlogged crawl space and ultimately to the plumbing.

After crews cut a slice of the kitchen floor and concrete slab, rusted-out cast-iron pipes were uncovered. The rust left gaping holes in the pipes from which kitchen wastewater was leaking. Price noted that just tapping the corroded pipes caused holes.

Crews continued to cut the concrete slab beyond the kitchen wall into the hallway. The school has to be careful how extensively it does repairs in the hallway, however, before asbestos abatement is required since the floor tiles and mastic contain asbestos.

Somers Middle School Maintenance Director Doug Brown said cast-iron piping around the school dates back to 1953 when the original school was built and has reached its life expectancy, which can span 50 to 60 years.

The problem now is where else have pipes corroded?

“I don’t know where it’s going to stop,” Price said.

Brown estimated the cost to replace the cast-iron pipes with plastic, in addition to water clean-up, may be more than $10,000. Funds from an operation and maintenance levy passed by voters in May 2015 would be used. The levy provides $185,000 annually and primarily has been used to tackle a long list of deferred maintenance projects while keeping up with repairs.

The amount of repairs led the district to look at sending its middle-schoolers to Kalispell if Kalispell Public Schools built a new middle school. Ultimately, the Somers-Lakeside school board voted to retain its students and fix the building after surveying the community.

In October, a $15.8 million 20-year bond issue will be put before Somers-Lakeside School District taxpayers to resolve issues that come with an aging facility. If approved, plans include remodeling a wing of the school built in the 1990s and building a new addition. Once completed, two wings built in the 1950s and 1960s would be demolished.

New construction would encompass about 44,810 square feet. Approximately 12,280 square feet of existing space would be remodeled.

Construction would include a new gym, fitness area, science lab, shop, art room, music room, band room, kitchen, commons and flexible, multipurpose spaces.

If approved, owners of homes with taxable values of $200,000 could anticipate an annual tax increase of $160.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.