---

ATTLEBORO - At some local schools, rain isn't just a signal to hold recess indoors. In some cases it means leaks in classrooms, damaged insulation and a possible risk of unhealthy mold.

School officials told city councilors Monday that chronic leaks at Studley, Hyman Fine and Hill Roberts elementary schools and parts of the high school are now urgent concerns that can no longer be delayed.

Some of the leaky roofs were recognized as problems as far back as the mid-1990s, Superintendent Pia Durkin said, and costs to correct the crumbling roofs continue to rise.

"In some cases, you can literally say it's raining in kindergarten," said Durkin, who presented members of the council's finance committee with photos of decomposing insulation and an infrared scan showing where roofs had been penetrated by water.

More than $1.4 million for school roof repairs is included in Mayor Kevin Dumas's capital expenditure recommendations for fiscal year 2008, according to the city's latest capital budget report. A total of $1 million of that amount would go to replace the roofs at Hill Roberts and Hyman Fine, along with $300,000 for a partial roof replacement at the high school and another $170,000 for roof repairs at Studley Elementary.

The recommendations also include $250,000 for resurfacing of the high school track and $90,000 for a feasibility study as the first step in the renovation of the high school.

Durkin said the schools also have an urgent need to replace a defective water cooling tower at Brennan Middle School. The superintendent said the mayor plans to seek funds from the council in February for the $85,000 expenditure.

School committee Chairwoman Robbie Wuilleumier said there's no question in her mind that the needs are immediate.

"We're at a point where it's beyond something that would be nice to have for the kids," she said. "We're at the emergency level."

Leaky roofs have long been a bane of city schools, a majority of whose buildings have flat roofs that are prone to water penetration. Durkin said it's taken too long to address the leaks.

"It's disheartening to see that some projects have been on the list for 10, 12, 15 years," Durkin said. "It does not give me a feeling we are moving forward."

Committee Chairman Frank Cook said he too feels frustrated at the lack of funds for improvements, but noted that other departments - not just schools - have been hard hit as the result of a series of budget crises.

Cook said the schools' offering of additional documentation and photos concerning the roof problems will help councilors in shaping their decisions, however.

Durkin traced chronic leaks to sheathing of several schools' roofs with a rubber coating during the 1980s. At the time, the so-called "rubber roofs" were thought to be a lasting solution to bothersome leaks. Instead, the installations themselves resulted in leaks by penetrating the original roofing materials and underlying insulation.

At one building, Durkin said, the rubber coating was pulled back to expose sodden roofing materials and insulation so saturated that it actually could be "wrung out."

Delays in addressing the leaks have led to other problems, Durkin said, including deterioration of some of the brick work and parapets at Hill Roberts and Hyman Fine buildings. Those too will now have to be repaired or covered with a rubber shield to prevent the masonry from further damage.

The schools' presentation came Monday during the second of three informational meetings before the finance committee.

A public hearing on the city's capital improvement plans is scheduled 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at city hall.