Having trouble accessing voice mail at Suttons Bay School?

There’s a reason. Superintendent Michael Murray reported Monday to the Board of Education that the district’s new voice mail system, installed just months ago, had been "fried" in an electrical storm overnight June 18.

“There’s no voice mail so it just keeps ringing and ringing and ringing,” Murray said. “It’s got to be aggravating trying to get a hold of us.”

Murray told the board that lightning had entered the system through the district’s “T1” line, fried the new voice mail card installed at the school this spring, and damaged two others.

“It was a direct strike on the line coming into our building,” Murray said.

“When Steve, our technology director, went down into the hub room … the system was smoking.”

The superintendent is hopeful the “voice card” can be fixed rather than replaced. A determination on the status of the equipment was expected by yesterday afternoon.

Cost of fixing or replacing the equipment is expected to be covered by insurance, minus a $1,000 deductible.