Belfor Property Restoration, OSU’s flood contractor, was on-site with their trucks Jan. 20 after a pipe burst in the Psychology Building. Credit: Elizabeth Suarez | For The Lantern
Several classes normally held in the Psychology Building will be relocated this week after a water main broke in the main lobby on Wednesday afternoon.
Ohio State Facilities Operations and Development, as well as Belfor Property Restoration, which handles flooding issues for OSU, began working on the site soon after the pipe broke and are expected to work daily until the building is fully repaired, said Dan Hedman, an Office of Administration and Planning spokesman, in an email.
Hedman said repairs from the damage, which is believed to have been caused by a frozen fire line that burst near the sprinkler head, should take no longer than a few days.
“We are still investigating causes but frozen pipes become more common as winter weather lowers temperatures,” he said, adding that the existence of any additional, contributing factors are being investigated.
Melissa Funk, a third-year in psychology, said she normally has her psychology sensation and perception class in the building at 8 a.m. on Thursdays.
However, at about 1 p.m., she received an email from her professor saying that her next class will take place in Jennings Hall instead because of the pipe bursting.
Several classrooms in the Psychology Building, including rooms 02, 10, and 14, were affected, as well as some office area.
“The Psychology Building main lobby area and a few classrooms were impacted by mostly cosmetic damage,” Hedman said. “These, along with some additional office space, will be blocked off and inaccessible through the weekend while the cleanup project continues.”
Students looking for changes in class schedules can check the Registrar’s Office or the College of Arts and Sciences for more information, he added.
Belfor Property Restoration was on-site and closing its trucks around 4:45 p.m. after working on the damage.
Several Belfor site workers were seen hauling out trash bags of damaged drywall, and a blue pipe was exposed running from the building into the sewer near the north entrance.
Hedman said at this time there is no estimate of the cost of damage to the building.
“We will continue to assess the damage, and we thank everyone for their patience during this unfortunate situation,” he said. “We are working hard to return the building to working order.”
