The immediate challenge after Friday’s pipe burst is finding places for two displaced programs to continue serving children. News4JAX reported that flooding damaged floors, walls, furniture, computers and school supplies at a building that has served Jacksonville children for decades. The Bridge Boys and Girls Club, which serves roughly 100 elementary-age children every day, and iCity Christian School are seeking space for their students.
According to News4JAX, the pipe burst in a second-floor storage room, and water came through the ceilings to the first floor. The room now has a caved-in ceiling with water still leaking, and the damage extended across both floors of the facility at 320 8th St. West. iCity head of school Dr. Keva Hampton said water flooded the entire second floor, soaking walls and pouring through the elevator shaft.
A Building With Deep Roots in Springfield
The News4JAX report says the Boys and Girls Club location has served Springfield children since 1983, with homework help, hot meals, mentorship and a safe place to learn and grow. iCity Christian School also used the building. Both programs used the building, which is now soaked and under assessment.
News4JAX reported that water remediation companies are working to dry the building and assess long-term damage. Children can return only after the building is confirmed safe. The outlet has given differing accounts of the repair timeline: one report said there was no timeline, while an earlier report said repairs were expected to take months. Those statements have not been reconciled.
Students Split Between Two Temporary Sites
News4JAX reported that Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida moved the Bridge Boys and Girls Club students to its Brentwood Club location, about a mile to a mile and a half away. iCity Christian School had not secured a fixed location as of the latest report. Hampton said the school is asking the mayor and the city for a community center to use temporarily while it searches for space.
The school hopes to have students back in a space as early as next Monday, but that depends on finding a willing host. No temporary location had been secured as of the latest update.
What the City Directory Lists
The City of Jacksonville’s JaxParks directory lists Emmett Reed Community Center, Gymnasium and Park at 1093 W. Sixth St. The listing identifies the facility but does not establish that it is available for iCity’s temporary use.
How Jacksonville Residents Can Help
Both the Bridge Boys and Girls Club and iCity Christian School are accepting donations, including financial contributions, electronics, board games and school supplies, to help replace what the flooding destroyed. The losses included computers and classroom materials, alongside furniture and supplies used daily by the club's roughly 100 elementary-age students.
The club has moved its students to another location, while the school searches for a temporary home.
