St. Joan Antida High School anticipates water main break to cost "tens of thousands of dollars" to fix

GLENDALE -- We saw warmer temperatures in southeastern Wisconsin on Thursday, January 14th -- but headaches continued for those dealing with broken water mains.

Crews began work on Port Washington Road near Bayshore Town Center early on Thursday morning after a water main break. They were on the scene for hours.

Water main break near Bayshore Town Center

The unexpected road work funneled drivers into just two lanes of traffic as they headed past Bayshore Town Center -- another obstacle that began underground before rising to the surface.

A water main break cancelled classes for students who attend St. Joan Antida High School near Cass and Ogden on Wednesday.

"We are anticipating this to be in the tens of thousands of dollars for fixing this leak," said Paul Gessner, head of school at St. Joan Antida High School.

St. Joan Antida High School

Students were back in the classroom on Thursday after the water main break outside the school's front entrance. But not everything was back open at the all-girls school.

"When the water was turned back off and then back on, we sprung a leak in two areas that just couldn't manage the pressure," said Gessner.

The result: flooding in two bathrooms and in the basement. That problem was discovered on Thursday morning -- adding to an already expensive bill.

Water main break closes St. Joan Antida High School

"It's a difficult situation because this is most likely going to take all of our maintenance budget for the year and then some," said Gessner.

Gessner said the combination of cold and 60-year-old pipes caused the water main break, and then,  when the water came back on, the new pressure caused the leaks inside.

St. Joan Antida High School water main break

Gessner now has to figure out how he'll pay for these repairs."Plan A" is already out the window.

"I did buy a Powerball ticket and didn't win but I'm very happy for those who did," said Gessner.

It's not clear at this time what the extent of the problem was in Glendale near Bayshore Town Center. Public works officials have yet to return messages from FOX6 News.

Water main break near Bayshore Town Center