Last week’s sub-zero temperatures caused minimal damage around the county. Both the Glasgow school district and Central Methodist University reported some damage due to frozen water pipes, but other schools and county buildings appeared to have made it through.

Temperatures dipped below the zero-degree several times over the last week. Coupled with high wind gusts and snow, the weather forced closures of schools, city halls, businesses, and even the Howard County Courthouse. Many athletic events, such as basketball games, were canceled or postponed.

Glasgow Superintendent Stacey Kottman said the district experienced a few issues from the cold weather. “Our greenhouse heaters had frozen pipes, which caused the motors to burn up. We also lost heat in the Ag shop and experienced issues with our boiler system, which heats the entire high school,” she said. 

The district was already addressing other heating issues throughout the high school prior to the cold weather, Kottman said.

The Fayette school district made it through the recent cold snap virtually unscathed. The only damage reported was a frozen water pipe on the outside of the greenhouse.

“Luckily, we only had one waterline freeze, and it was outside of the greenhouse, so it did not damage anything other than the waterline itself,” said Fayette Superintendent Brent Doolin.

The New Franklin school district also escaped the cold without incident. Superintendent Benji Dorson said no damage has been reported.

The county also has not found any damage at buildings such as the courthouse and the Keller Building, according to Western District commissioner Mat Freese.

The freezing temperatures are forcing the City of Fayette to estimate water usage for January for all customers. “Due to the inclement weather making it difficult to access meters, city crews are unable to read meters for this month,”  read a statement from the city. “All meters will be estimated with the average consumption for that address for February’s utility bills. Weather permitting, meters will be read as normal next month. We thank you for your understanding.”

The practice is common among municipalities in such situations. “Customers will be billed for their average usage. When meters can be read, if the readings were too low, they’ll be charged the difference,” explained utility office manager Dashayla Bush. “If the reading was over, customers will only be charged the base fee until the readings are caught up.”

The arctic blast seems to be over—despite an ice storm that closed just about everything on Monday—as temperatures climbed above freezing early this week, with highs forecast in the 40s for the next several days.