Slow flooding forced residents from three basement rooms in Blair Hall to move for the remainder of the year. The damage is minimal, but the six students agreed to move for health and safety reasons.
Flooding was expected to be a large issue this spring, with near-record snow fall, and a late warming season. Fortunately, spring weather so far has caused slow melting, but Blair Hall, located at the west center of campus, a hot spot for flooding, has still been affected by the melt.
Three rooms, 022, 024 and 026, all on the west side of the building, have been evacuated because of slow water seeping through the walls. No serious damage resulted from the leak, except for a couple of rugs that have since turned moldy from collecting moisture. Ashley Phillips, Residential Director of Blair Hall, warned the occupants of the basement floor to keep their valuables, especially electronics, off the floor in case that flooding would occur.
Continuous leaking began on Friday and Saturday from massive snow melt due to warm temperatures. The residents occupying the affected rooms notified the administration and they immediately began to take action, relocating the present occupants and moving things off the floor for those who went home for the weekend.
“We had most people’s cell phone numbers on file, so we contacted them right away to get permission to move things around,” Phillips said. There was no resistance to administrative intervention.
According to Frank Cocchiarella, Director of Residential Life, most of the students moved within Blair and a couple to Smith Hall on the north side of campus. The slow water accumulation was drained with wet vacuums and the rooms will remain vacant for the rest of the year.
This is not the first time that weather has affected living conditions in Blair. According to Phillips, “People were a bit more prepared… maybe not entirely ready, but they knew it was a possibility.”Flood anticipation was high this year. Usually the two buildings most affected are Blair and Rounds Halls. Last summer, Plymouth State administration hired engineers to flood-proof Rounds. Construction cannot be planned during the academic year, so this summer they will do the same to Blair. Flooding is only a problem with structures built on inclines–into the sides of hills.
According to Cocchiarella, the insurance policy for a campus residence Hall has an extremely high deductible and won’t cover the cost of this minor water damage. However, a portion of the collective room fees is allotted for this kind of maintenance and repairs.
Usually the money would go towards updating bathrooms, replacing furniture or renewing flooring but this year Blair’s funds will pay for repairing its water damage. “It’s been planned for,” Cocchiarella said. Physical Plant will be responsible for fixing the damage.