By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer
The Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) basement will be closed over the weekend after a water line break caused minor flooding and water damage.
Jordy Dickey, assistant director of the SUB, said she was one of the first people to discover the leak and appreciates the effort made by student leaders in the SUB to address the issue in a prompt manner.
“We opened up the game room at 8 a.m. this morning and upon our arrival, we saw water pouring down onto the bowling lanes,” Dickey said. “I definitely give credit to our incredible student leaders in the Baylor game room for being on point with calling Aramark and checking in with me as a supervisor.”
Matt Burchett, director of Student Activities, said the damage was caused by a water line bursting in the ceiling above the bowling alley.
“The burst caused significant water flow onto the lanes themselves,” Burchett said. “We took steps to handle the water in the facility for a brief moment and put a patch over the pipe. Baylor protocol is to then have Aramark and restoration services come out for the initial work of drying out the facilities. As evaluations go on, we’ll see if any repairs are necessary, but we hope to reopen on Monday.”
Dickey credited a large part of the problem being solved swiftly to student leaders and staff present during the leakage who took action to contact resources in a prompt manner.
“What helped us to stop the leak and really contain it was very much a team effort of everyone taking action to notify Aramark and send out communications,” Dickey said. “When you have an emergency moment, it’s really great to have an incredible team that is well-trained to handle the problem with care for these spaces and also for our patrons so they have a clear understanding of what’s going on.”
Dickey said that the SUB basement spaces will be closed to students over the weekend for repairs with a goal of reopening the morning of Jan. 28.
“We have restoration in the space to run dehumidifiers that can soak up moisture in and around the lanes,” Dickey said. “Because of this equipment in the space and their usage of a lot of electrical outlets, we thought it was best to close down the entire space to allow work and cleaning to take place.”
Despite the weekend closing of the SUB basement, Dickey said that Sundown Sessions programming will still be held in the SUB on Friday and Saturday night.
“The game room and bowling lanes will be closed, but the movie will still go on Friday and escape rooms will continue Saturday,” Dickey said. “We want to encourage students to still attend and enjoy those activities.”
Burchett said that groups expected to use the basement space over the weekend were notified of the damage, and that reopening Monday will remain the goal if damage remains at the expected level.
“We’ve notified any partners that take classes in that area and made the rounds as it relates to various people or groups impacted by this,” Burchett said. “The SUB is a 70-year-old building, so moments like this can be a challenge, but we’re hopeful that the issue will be resolved quickly.”
