Pipe bursts, falling ceilings damage buildings

The weather does not discriminate by department. This was aptly proven in the past two days when, according to Physical Plant Executive Director James Wargo, excessively cold temperatures caused over 15 water feeds, pre-heat coils, radiators and hot and cold water pipes to burst around campus. A leaking coil in Bennett Hall shut down the English department at 11:30 a.m. yesterday, when a ceiling tile crashed, causing the front office to flood. English Department Chairperson John Richetti said last night that, although the office will not be in top condition, the department will be ready to reopen today. "I don't know how much business we'll be able to do," Richetti said. "It's a mess, an absolute mess... it looks to me like a big job." Not as big a job, though, as was created one floor up when the same coil caused what Richetti termed "a large chunk of the ceiling" to collapse in the Penniman Library. The Library, unlike the English Department, will be closed indefinitely. The Clinical Research Building had an equally serious problem when hot and cold water pipes running into the seventh floor laboratory burst at about 11 a.m. Sunday. Though the resulting leaks flooded floors one through seven, all but the seventh floor were operational yesterday. Wargo said he expects to have the whole building open today. Meyerson Hall was also hit hard. According to Wargo, Physical Plant workers discovered a burst water-feed valve in the basement at about 2 p.m. Sunday, after three of the building's amphitheaters were already under about two feet of water. The Levy Dental Building and the Nursing-Education building were among the other trouble-spots around campus. Shops were not spared by Mother Nature, either. Discovery Discs in Houston Hall was forced to close yesterday when a perimeter radiator began to leak heavily. The store is expected to reopen tomorrow. Physical Plant has a steam operator and an electrical operator on duty at all times to watch for new problems, and a team of specialists, including nine plumbers, on call in case an emergency arises. "We're keeping up with it as best we can," said Wargo. "I think we're doing well for the situation we're in." While Richetti was concerned with the state of the English Department, he put the problem into a national perspective. "If we were in California we'd be in trouble," he said of this morning's Los Angeles-area earthquake. "This is only a nuisance."