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Letter: Where did the money go?

Editor, Gazette-Journal: 

Many residents of Gloucester County and several county supervisors repeatedly asked the school board and its retiring leader to repair Page Middle School after the April 2011 tornado. County records reflect the Page schoolhouse, its contents and property in the open were insured for a total of $13,513,744 at the time of the tornado.

The insurance carrier and a separate firm hired by the school board concluded the amount of damage was several million dollars less than the maximum coverage amount. The school board paid at least $27,000 in taxpayer money to hire the separate firm. The insurance carrier’s estimate to return the school to an upgraded and fully functional state and to repair or replace all outbuildings, lights, fences, the concession stand and bleachers was $8,235,687. This left $5,278,057 in insurance contingency funds to cover unforeseen tornado-related damage and costs during construction.

The insurance estimate also included the in...

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