Ohio University officials are concerned about the possibility of mold growing in Porter Hall after a water line burst in December and caused water damage to the building.
Officials are worried mold will grow in Porter Hall following a Dec. 31 flood that damaged ceiling tiles, carpet and teaching materials.
Porter Hall, which is home to the psychology, environmental and plant biology departments as well as the Psychology and Social Work Clinic, flooded after a water pipe on the third floor burst and damaged the floors below it.
“The next step is they are going to continue to take moisture levels,” said Bruce Carlson, chair of the psychology department.
The amount of damaged items was “surprising,” said Susan Tice-Alicke, assistant chair for undergraduate studies in the psychology department.
“When I did come in it was overwhelming... At the time, all the ceiling tiles were down, water was still dripping that afternoon where it had burst,” Tice-Alicke said.
The pipe was repaired, said Steve Wood, executive director for facilities management.
“They took the carpet up... They cut out a piece of the sheetrock to get access to the inner walls,” Carlson said. “They are still running dehumidifiers to try and get the water out.”
OU will decide next week whether to cut out more of the wall, Wood said.
If mold is present, the walls will be replaced, Carlson said.
OU officials said they don’t know how much the repairs will cost, but they will be paid for with an emergency maintenance fund, said Joe Lalley, senior associate vice president for Information Technologies and Administrative Services.
“We don't like to plan for emergencies, but the reality is they do occur,” Lalley said.
It’s possible that some of the damage will be covered with the university’s insurance policy, Carlson said.
OU is seeking a contractor to replace the carpet, but the classroom audio-visual systems and fire electrical systems are working properly, Wood said.
“The university pulled our computers... Everything else was saturated with water, but they told us to wait several days before starting them until the following week,” Tice-Alicke said.
The only thing that didn’t work was her keyboard, which the university replaced.
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