From kiddie pools to classrooms

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about an incredible project by Coryell Roofing protecting Woodward, Oklahoma’s young learners from storms! 

When the Woodward Early Childhood Center in Oklahoma was designed, there were no plans for a kiddie pool. Unfortunately, the weather and a leaking metal roofing system had other ideas, and the staff and students quickly became accustomed to placing a pool around the facility’s halls during storms. Kyle Reynolds, the former superintendent of the Woodward school explained their struggles with this issue, “When you are trying to facilitate an educational foundation for young children, it’s important to limit environmental disruptions. They don’t need those types of distractions as they’re learning and transitioning between different spaces throughout the school. It’s just not ideal.” 

But the straw that broke the camel’s back was in 2019 when a hailstorm swept through the area. When Coryell Roofing from Oklahoma City arrived on the scene they found that the hailstorm had exacerbated the existing issues with the roof. It was definitely time for a solution, as Brandon Rakestraw, regional sales manager for Coryell Roofing, explained, “In Oklahoma, it isn’t a question of if we’ll get another severe hailstorm, just when. For this project, we had to find a solution to remedy their long-term challenges with ongoing roof leaks while also protecting them from the next storm.”  

As the Coryell team tackled the project, they were able to use a metal retrofit system in combination with a Duro-Last membrane to fix the issues with minimal disruption and expense to the center. Working from the original roof up, they made sure to add coverboards and a new drainage system from Exceptional Metals to help protect against future storms and water intrusion. The crew of 10-15 were able to complete this over 100,000-square-foot project within a month! When asked about the experience, Kyle shared, “We couldn’t be happier with the roofing systems installed by Coryell Roofing throughout the district, especially at Woodward Early Childhood Center. After our first big rain with the new roof, we had zero water intrusion, which we hadn’t experienced in the 15-year history of the school. The district couldn’t have asked for a better outcome or a better partner to tackle this project with us.” 

Check out this video on YouTube to see the incredible project yourself!