Main Building Recovery Project – Progress Report for Oct. 12

Progress reports on the efforts to assess and repair damage to the Main Building will be provided regularly in Daily News.

Highlights for the past week, as reported by Vice President of Administration Lawra Baumann, include:

• Structural inspection was completed and the project engineer has certified there was no structural damage to the Boiler Room or A Wing areas impacted by flooding.
   
• The Fire Loop water line breaks were repaired, and the entire loop is operational.
   
• The College took delivery of boiler pumps and temporary power for the new boiler was installed. Final specifications and location of the back-up generator for the boilers is in process. (Photo below: new boilers ready for installation)
   
  

• Demolition and removal is in process for damaged, abandoned, and de-commissioned mechanical equipment that was in flooded areas.
• This equipment included chillers, pumps, boilers, piping, and no-longer-used items such as a large incinerator and abandoned steam/water lines.
• Abatement of wet materials in underground tunnels D, E, and F has been completed, allowing electrical inspection to begin in those locations.
   
• Fungal assessment of the Fitness Center, The Pit (recreation area) and nearby areas has been completed with a “Satisfactory” rating.

On Oct. 9, President Posey and members of the College Facilities Committee toured some parts of Main Building where recovery efforts are taking place.

• The tour was led by Doug Weberding of The Geiler Company, the general contractor for the Main Recovery project, accompanied by the project’s Professional Engineer, Jordan Grubbs of Fosdick & Hilmer.

Faculty Senate President Lesli Rice also attended the tour, and shared with Daily News insights gained from the tour.

• Main Building is structually sound and repairable, but repairs will take time. Assessment and recovery will continue for the rest of Fall Semester and will extend into Spring Semester.

• The break happened in 70-year-old steel pipes for the fire suppression water lines that feed fire hydrants and the sprinkler system, not the water supply in Main.
• Today, protection would be placed around the pipes but that was not the standard 70 years ago. (Photo above: a piece of the broken pipe)
• The break likely happened over a couple of days. Because there are 145 lbs. of pressure on the pipes, it created a cavity under A-wing.
   
• The contractors have filled the cavity with concrete. In the photo below, General Contractor Doug Weberling is standing in Parking Lot D over the cavity that was repaired. The arrow shows the location where water entered Main Building.

• About 1.2 million gallons of water entered the basement and tunnels below Main. The steps leading to the Boiler Room (photo below) were completely submerged.
  
   
• At the exterior entrance to the Boiler Room, water was up to the top of the concrete cross pillars (photo below).
  
   
• Inside the Boiler Room, water was up to the level of the window panes (photo below)/
  
   
• The photo below shows a portion of a destroyed chiller.
  
   
• Temporary chiller equipment is currently outside Main Building (photo below).
  
  (Photos provided by Monica Posey and Lesli Rice)