By Shelly Williams/editor in chief
The South Campus South Communications building could be under renovation for another four weeks, vice chancellor for real estate and facilities Nina Petty said.
A 6-to-9-inch rainfall Sept. 7-8 displaced students and faculty in the SCLC building after workers had to pump out water, remove furniture and computers and rip out the carpet. Faculty desks and computer towers were also ruined.
Now considered a “hard-hat” zone, renovations and repairs for the building are predicted to be completed by Nov. 10, Petty said.
“The whole building has been gutted out,” said daytime custodial supervisor Kenneth Mays.
Mays said the flood was caused by a sump pump that failed as water came to a low-lying area by the building. That pump, used to push water to higher ground, has now been replaced, he said.
The estimated total cost of the damage, said TCC risk and insurance manager Ford Farris, is expected to be between $600,000 and $700,000, but TCC will have to pay only a $100,000 deductible. Much of the cost is because of damaged electrical wiring and the expense to dry out the soaked building.
“There could be a delay in getting the furniture back in after ordering it,” Farris said. “But we should be in good shape after that.”
Despite having to make quick adjustments to move classes, South humanities divisional dean Judith Gallagher said the transition from what she jokingly calls “The Great Flood of 2010” went smoothly.
“We’re running business as usual even though we’re displaced,” she said. “Everyone around the campus is being very helpful in opening spaces and letting us use them.”
Language students are doing their labs in the center for academic success.
“Out of everything negative, there comes some positive,” Gallagher said. “We’re real good at solving problems. So we’re solving this one every day as we go along.”
Some classes meet in nontraditional spaces, such as the Forum Room and Texas Room in the Student Center.
Sometimes music or a speaker with a microphone will carry into a classroom.
“So every once in a while, it’s a little inconvenient, but we figure it out,” she said.
