Prolonged flood recovery continues at Floyd campus

By Haley Smith
[email protected]
Staff Writer

F-Wing and the student center on the Floyd campus continue to recover from damage caused by roof leaks that started during a roofing project last March.

While roofers were trying to replace the F-Wing's roof, they triggered massive water damage to the inside of the building. The leaks caused damage to many offices and classrooms.

"The roofers were driving an anchor into the roof to attach the new roof on," stated Dr. Robert Page, chair of the social sciences division.

Page explained that each time the roofers would drive the anchor into the roof, a new leak would form. The water came from initial rainfall.

Page had several areas in his division that received water damage. Overall, Page stated that his division was fairly lucky that there wasn't any more damage done.

"I had been out of town when I got a call that my office had been flooded," said Dr. Laura Mussel-white, professor of history.

Mussel white's office happened to be one of the offices most severely affected. ; " When I got to my office, Mr. Kimsey, director of plant operations, was already in there. People had taken care of my belongings immediately after the leak was discovered," Mussel-white said. Her office had to be repainted the week of Sept. 3, and new carpet was installed.

According to Musselwhite, the only belongings that were ruined were posters and an old chair. "It was distracting enough last spring," says Janna McDowell, early childhood education major from Rockmart. McDowell had a communications class last spring, during which it was hard to give a speech with all the hammering and water constantly dripping into trashcans.

"I don't understand why they are still working on it when they had the whole summer," she said. "It felt like existing in a toxic environment," said La Nelle Daniel, English coordinator. "I would come in feeling good, and at the end of the day, I would have a headache and sinus problems," she explained. She does admit that the situation has improved since the summer.

"I look forward to all of this being over because students need a stable learning environment, not a toxic dump," she said. "In a perfect world, this would have been stopped in three weeks," said John Spranza, director of student life.

Despite the frustration, Spranza added, "It has been a long process, but there have been good efforts made." The effect of the campus flooding is still being felt in September. The foreign language lab is still under renovation, and jackhammers can still be heard on campus. Daniel says that credit is due to "students and faculty who have stood this out."