Paper towels sit on the windowsill of a Symons Hall basement office, serving as the first line of defense against floodwater flowing into an office that houses the computer server for the agriculture and natural resources college.
Staff members in the college’s IT department, which is located in a small suite in the building’s basement, move the computer server as a precautionary measure every time it rains or they risk losing the college’s website as well as faculty and student data, said Loc Hoang, the department’s director.
A late-April rain shower sent a stream of water flowing down McKeldin Mall and right into a Symons office window, where it seeped into the office, causing damage to the building’s foundation and leaving a 3-inch flood in the suite.
The flood marks the third this year, and Facilities Management officials have said despite repeated attempts to fix the problem, a permanent solution has yet to be found.
Facilities Management will attempt to dig a 6-to-12-inch ditch in front of the window this weekend to help trap water on its way to the 0300 Symons Hall wing, which lies halfway underground. Assistant Director of Landscape Services Bill Monan said he will attempt the project over the weekend if rain doesn’t prevent the dig.
Monan said the small ditch will be a temporary fix until Facilities Management can determine the exact cause of the flooding and find a permanent solution.
Associate Director of Facilities Maintenance Laura Wildesen said Facilities Management has tried multiple fixes to the problem in past years. The most recent solution was pouring gravel around the outside of the building to absorb the rain. Wildesen said she wasn’t sure why their previous solution wasn’t working anymore.
“We have had other solutions that we thought were permanent fixes,” she said. “Earlier this year was the first time in a long time [Symons has had flooding problems]. Something has changed in regard to the situation.”
Hoang said the department’s personal computers have to be shut down when it rains, as well. His 12-person department can’t miss a day of work because of a little water.
“We have to work around it,” Hoang said. “We don’t complain … It’s a mess in the office because we keep moving furniture around. It’s just a hassle, but I don’t complain.”
Hoang said Facilities Management workers have done their best to clean the office by sucking the water out of the carpets and using dehumidifiers to remove the excess water, but he’s still concerned about the health problems.
“We don’t know what’s under the carpet,” Hoang said. “It’s been treated, but I’m still concerned.”
Jack Baker, the director of operations and maintenance for Facilities Management, said the IT suite in the basement of Symons “deserves a gold star.” Baker said Hoang and other office members have been cooperative as Facilities Management tries to find a permanent fix for the flooding.
Landscape Services and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources are joining forces to redesign the landscape next to Symons Hall, planting raised flower beds to help absorb floodwater, Monan said. The project, which is still in the design phase, could begin as early as the fall and should help direct water away from the building.
The college’s web designer Mark Shute’s office is still undergoing repairs from a flood after a Feb. 1 torrential downpour. Debris blocked a storm drainage pipe, sending flood water into heating units on the first and second floors. That water then dripped down to the basement through the ceiling.
Plastic sheets still cover the desk, chairs and bookshelf in Shute’s office, but he said repairs to the drywall under the window and ceiling tiles should be finished this week.
taustindbk@gmail.com
