SWCC moves forward with flood repairs

Three weeks after a 4-inch water line burst at Southwestern Community College’s (SWCC) administrative building, staff are moving forward with repairs.

Tom Lesan, vice president of economic development at SWCC, said the ruptured water line was an original and dated back to the 1970s.

“Fortunately it was clean drinking water and there is no smell,” Lesan said.

The water line, which ruptured on June 22, flooded the administrative building and destroyed carpet and drywall throughout the front of the building. To make the repairs, Lesan said it will cost about $20,000 to tear up the sidewalk and install new concrete, landscaping and carpet throughout the boardroom, hallway, lobby and an office of the administrative building.

Lesan said the blue carpet currently in the building is being held together with duct tape and mostly stays put. But, when there is higher traffic on the carpet, it bunches up.

An insurance adjuster was at the campus Monday to survey the damage. Lesan expects the repairs to take up to six weeks.

“We are waiting for the ground to settle naturally,” Lesan said. “We had a lot of rain, so the ground is settling and looking really good.”

Lesan said the flooding was discovered as staff entered the building to paint the walls on June 22 — a Sunday. Under normal circumstances, staff would not have been in the building until Monday morning.

“We are lucky,” Lesan said. “It could have been much worse.”