Small Gas Leak at Shivela Middle Quickly Repaired

A report of a possible ruptured gas line prompted officials to respond to Shivela Middle School today.

The report came in at about 10:25 a.m. Construction crews were digging a line around the school's south-facing perimeter for the installation of electric lines related to new solar carports.

A school resource officer reported that the smell of natural gas was coming from that portion of campus.

A fire crew arrived shortly but workers had already secured the leak, according to Murrieta Fire Department Spokesperson Matt Corelli.

"They hit a small gas line and they managed to shut if off prior to our arrival," Corelli said. "The gas company is going to come in and make a permanent fix on it. We just came there to make sure it was secured and it was."

No evacuations were ordered, according to Principal Marcie Kea.

"It was totally under control right away," Kea said.

Bill Olien, assistant superintendent of facilities, said it is always good to exercise "an extra bit of caution."

Shivela Middle is one of three campuses currently undergoing construction as the Murrieta Valley Unified School District installs solar carports at all of its facilities.

"We are doing good, we are ahead of schedule," Olien said.

The work at Shivela Middle School should be completed by April 5, he said.

At Lisa J. Mails Elementary, Olien said the work will be done by Friday. At Murrieta Mesa High School, work is just beginning.

By the end of the summer all campuses should be complete, he said.

The move to solar power is expected to save the district about $1 million annually. About 15-20 percent of that will come from actual energy savings, Olien said. Another aspect of the savings is that district will be charged a renewable rate for the other 80 to 85 percent of its energy consumption. The district will also get rebates for five years, he said.