Parents question Rēzekne preschool’s closure after storm damage

Rēzekne’s Vinnijs Pūks preschool has not reopened for the new school year after a storm damaged its roof in late August, LSM reported. The municipality suspended the building’s use as a safety measure, while many parents believe the damage is minor and is being used as a pretext to close the preschool.

Vinnijs Pūks was the only preschool in Rēzekne where children did not mark the start of the school year on September 1. Its doors are now closed, although children and teachers were still there a week earlier.

The children have been placed in three other preschools in the city. Parents initially expected the arrangement to be temporary, but it is not known when the children will be able to return.

“Since we do not know when we will return, I came to collect our belongings,” said parent Irina Koževņikova.

There are no visible signs of water damage, stains or mould on the ceiling of the preschool’s assembly hall. The roof above the ceiling was damaged, however. Photographs published by LSM show that the wind tore off sheets of roofing felt, which were replaced the following day.

According to an inspection report, the building’s electrical installation must be checked and the roof must then be assessed visually at least once a week to determine whether it is leaking.

Parents paid for a certified construction engineer to assess the roof. “The construction engineer inspected the structures and the interior, and a certified specialist provided a written opinion that the premises are in satisfactory condition and that the preschool is ready to continue operating as it did before the storm,” said Ivars Pušmucāns, a representative of the parents’ council.

Another source also unofficially told LSM’s Latgale newsroom that the damage was not serious and that the building could be used.

Many parents are dissatisfied with the conditions in the other preschools. At the Rotaļa preschool, for example, an additional group has been placed in the sports hall. Parents fear that their children will not return to Vinnijs Pūks.

Rēzekne City Council had already discussed closing the preschool in the spring.