An improperly installed copper pipe burst in the recently-renovated Thomas A. Edison Hall at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 11, allowing water to flow from the third floor to the first floor, according to Patti Swannack, the Vice President for Administrative Services.
“The only area that suffered damage and was unusable was the atrium,” said Swannack as she discussed the scope of the damage.
“Some of the classes were moved,” Swannack continued. “Some of the classes, if not impacted, continued as scheduled. The classes north and south, e.g. Howard Hall and the northern classrooms and labs, were not affected.”
According to a statement by William Schreiber, Ph.D., Chair of the Chemistry and Physics Department, the pipe that burst was located over a physical and inorganic chemistry lab on the third floor. A lab bench holding computer and specific optical spectroscopy equipment did have water land on it; the computers were not damaged but “it will take a few days to determine the condition of the other equipment.”
Schreiber’s statement also explained that biology labs on the first level had been damaged. However, he said that damage to the building “did not appear to be great.”
“We will be opening the building [Thursday] morning,” said Swannack. “We have tested the lighting, the fire alarm system, removed the wet ceiling, installed dryers and dehumidifiers, and cleaned the furniture, floors, and counter tops.”
PHOTO TAKEN by Mehdi Husaini
