Hilton Head school mess final cost: $1.15M. After 10 weeks, no vandals arrested
The bill is in. And it’s $1,154,051.
When vandals broke into Hilton Head Island Middle School in July, a disaster recovery team service contract quoted the district at $1.25 million in damages.
The actual number is about $100,000 lower than that estimate, according to district spokesperson Candace Bruder. She said the district only paid the $50,000 deductible, and the remaining $1.1 million was covered by insurance.
Nearly 80 days since the break-in, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office the case is still active, according to the Sheriff’s Office’s Spokesperson Angela Viens. They haven’t named any suspects or released any photos.
There was no video footage of the vandalism because the school was still under construction with no working cameras. More than 75 classrooms, lockers, bathrooms, the gym, the cafeteria, the auditorium, and hallways were damaged by the vandals setting off fire extinguishers, spray painting, and throwing shampoo, conditioner, floor stripper, and other contaminants.
A summarized breakdown of the $1.25 million estimate from Servepro, the disaster recovery team service, is:
- $630,000 to remove of all contaminants and chemical agents from affected areas. This is a very similar process to soot removal following a fire incident, according to the contract.
- $370,000 to remove and clean all boxed lots, student desks, furniture, fixtures, and equipment from affected areas.
- $100,000 to clean the air ducts
- $150,000 to evaluate and clean all electronics, music instruments, uniforms, fitness equipment, classroom smart boards, printers and copiers.
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 10:19 AM.
