Barnes Hall faces repairs resulting from water damage
A broken sprinkler line in Barnes Hall caused water damage Monday after alarms set off the building's sprinkler system. The amount of damage is still unknown.
When the sprinkler system started, an alarm signaled security to the scene. As soon as security realized there was no fire, they shut the water line off, Director of Plant Operations Mark Lecher said.
According to Lecher, building damage is being repaired now along with water damage recovery on all three floors. After fast action, the carpet in the offices was saved.
As for the cost of all the damage, the answer is unknown. Insurance is involved and school officials are still working on figuring out how much damage there is to lab equipment, but there will be an answer soon.
“It’s hard to say [how much the damages will cost], we are working with insurance,” Lecher said, “Within the week or so, maybe longer, faculty will test the equipment. Faculty members are over there working quickly to identify what is damaged and needs to be replaced.”
The building was closed as of Tuesday, but open back up by the end of the week, Lecher said. The closures were not related to health risks.
“We’re getting pretty close to getting things up and running, faculty and staff are in there working,” Lecher said.
The long-term master plan identified Barnes as a campus building needing future renovations. But when the renovations will happen has not yet been set.
“[It was an] unfortunate thing that happened, but the timing was good,” Lecher said.
The two winter term classes scheduled to meet in Barnes have been relocated.
Lecher heard that there had been a class in Barnes at the time, and that they had moved quickly to save some of the equipment.
“Luckily, we were able to get to it and get it repaired quickly,” Lecher said.
