Bolivar schools start chilly day without power

GALVESTON, TX Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School dealt with its second power outage in three days, starting the school day without electricity. The power went down at approximately 6 a.m. and returned at 8:51 a.m. after power company officials originally informed Galveston Independent School District officials it would be on at 7:00 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. GISD administration closely monitored the situation and deemed the temperature in the classrooms did not dip low enough to warrant closing the school or moving the children to another facility.

"We felt that if the power went on at 7:00, that the facility would be sufficiently heated for the start of classes," said GISD Facilities Manager Fred Niccum. "Unfortunately, the times we were quoted for the return of power kept on being pushed back. Despite some minimal discomfort, we had the building warmed up to regular temperatures shortly after the power came back."

Drop-off time for students generally falls between 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. School administration said the temperature in classrooms did not dip below 60 degrees and that there was enough residual heat to keep students in the school. The regular school schedule resumed at the school this morning.

The school dealt with a similar power outage on Wednesday, when 1,900 Bolivar Peninsula electricity customers were without services because of a power line repair. Crenshaw was without power for 38 minutes and carried on with its regular school schedule at that time. The outage affected nearly three-fourths of the community.