The Trevilians Elementary School gymnasium was closed immediately Friday after an engineering firm told Louisa County school officials to stop using it.
Engineering firm Dewberry and Davis, which has been inspecting and monitoring Louisa's school facilities since a magnitude-5.8 earthquake hit on Aug. 23, said the gymnasium should not be used until repairs are made.
The specific types of repairs needed were not mentioned in a news release sent out by school officials late Saturday night.
Trevilians Elementary and Thomas Jefferson Elementary, which was severely damaged by the earthquake, were using the Trevilians gym for physical education classes.
"The safety of our students is of the utmost importance," said school spokeswoman Jaclyn O'Laughlin.
P.E. teachers will hold classes outside or in other areas of the school until repairs are completed, she said.
Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $19 million to fix structural damage at Louisa High. Earlier this month, FEMA awarded $3.2 million to repair damage at Thomas Jefferson. FEMA also has approved more than $13 million in federal grants through the Individual and Households program, which has approved 5,489 applications as of Sunday evening. More than $3.8 million in loans by the U.S. Small Business Administration have been approved.
The deadline to register for state and federal assistance to help cover earthquake-related losses is March 5. Localities designated for disaster assistance are Albemarle, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Goochland, King George, Louisa, Orange and Spotsylvania counties and the city of Fredericksburg.
Residents and business owners in the designated localities can register for aid, get information about assistance programs and follow up on their applications by visiting disasterassistance.gov or calling 800/621-FEMA (or 800/462-7585 for those with speech or hearing impairments).
Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419
Email: psmith@fredericksburg.com