by Michelle Willson, Feature/Entertainment Editor
Why the cover-up?
The blue tarp is not the only thing wrong with the J.R. Holder Wellness Center roof.
A windstorm Jan. 11 took a big toll on campus. One of the tin panels blew off of the roof during the windstorm and left the wood underneath exposed. When workers went up to put it back on, they uncovered a bigger problem: The wood underneath was completely rotten.
“I mean, [for] 20 years, they haven’t had to replace it or do anything,” Olivia Yandel, assistant director of the wellness center, said. “A lot of the stuff in here is original from when they first built the wellness center. But a lot of it too, we kind of think, is just the humidity of the pool room because we have increased the heat overtime for the patrons and stuff, so obviously, heat rises, [and] the humidity rises.”
The roof has caused some other problems. The day snow came in Jan., the wind and snow made the ceiling leak, causing moisture to come down the walls and onto the floor.
“Our student worker came in that morning, and there was a pretty big puddle,” Yandel said. “They had to sweep it into the drain and get it as cleaned out as soon as possible.”
Yandel also said it has caused several problems with the ceiling in the side room. The tiles are beginning to deteriorate and fall out because they are soaked.
Wellness Center employees were told that the construction should not impede those who want to continue to use the pool.
“The pool will stay open regardless unless something crazy happens and they determine anything else,” Yandel said.
HOT TUB REPAIRED
The hot tub had been broken for more than four weeks, but workers have repaired it. It was turned back on Monday.
The hot tub was out of operation because of a leak that was completely unrelated to the roof.
Yandel said one of the pipes expanded too much, and water had escaped into the chemical room.
FINDING FUNDING
“We still haven’t really heard anything,” Yandel said. “I know cost is going to be a big factor. Where are they going to get the money for it? … It will be pricey. There have been quite a few numbers thrown around. I know they are possibly looking for a grant to help pay for it too, because they will have to replace the whole roof.”
Yandel said they have contacted the original company, but the company said they do not have the manpower right now to fix the roof because it is the “off-season” for fixing things.
The workers at the Wellness Center do not know when they will start the repair process.
“We talked with administration, and they told us that they were going to determine it as an emergency, so that we didn’t have to wait on a bid to come and fix it, and the original company would have to come and fix it,” Yandel said. “We just assumed it would be started by now.”