Blake Williams stopped at a drinking fountain before class in MacQuigg Laboratory two weeks ago and was appalled by the brown muck that filled his water bottle.
Hustling to class with the bottle in hand, the third-year in journalism was more concerned about feeding his curiosity than satisfying his thirst, he said.
For the entire two-hour class period, the water only slightly cleared. As it settled in the clear bottle, “black specs fell to the bottom,” and it remained opaque, Williams said.
Although the water was odorless, Williams said he was shocked by its poor quality.
This is nothing new.
Discolored water flows out of faucets, toilets and drinking fountains at least a dozen times a year in MacQuigg, said Ken Kushner, material science engineering laboratory manager. He is also the building coordinator.
The discoloration is the result of water being turned back on after repairs are made to the pipes. The brown tint and particles are remnants of oxidized iron that builds up in the pipes when the water shuts off, he said.
Although the “nasty-looking” water is not harmful, Kushner said, he does not recommend drinking it.
By letting the water run for a few minutes, it will become clear again. This is a common problem with older pipes, and just one of the many issues that Kushner, who has been in MacQuigg for more than three years, faces every day.
MacQuigg, Koffolt Laboratories, Fontana Laboratories and Watts Hall make up the building complex between 18th and Woodruff avenues that dates back to the early 1940s.
The complex houses the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and an antiquated pipe system that requires constant repairs.
But fixing the pipes is not meant to make the building more “desirable,” Kushner said. Plumbers and technicians from Facilities Operations and Development are trying to keep the building from falling apart, he said.
Acting as a liaison between his department and Facilities Operations and Development, Kushner’s job has become reporting necessary repairs regarding water, heating and air, drainage and accessibility throughout the building, he said.
“It gets really frustrating,” Kushner said with a sigh. “It affects people’s health as well as their work.”
Ranking in the top 20 departments nationwide, the Material Science Engineering program at Ohio State has a hard time dealing with the conditions in its out-dated building, Kushner said.
Students and professors have trouble conducting research and doing labs in an environment where one room is more than 90 degrees and the next is less than 50, he said.
“An infrastructure that is at least 40 years old is not what the department deserves,” Kushner said. He takes pride in the department he has worked in for 18 years.
But Kushner knows he is not the only one in need “of a new home,” he said.
The university has been conducting research with a team of architects and engineers to assess the buildings on campus and decide which ones are in good condition, which ones need renovations and which ones should be torn down, he said.
The Sasaki project, which involves various campus and state departments, has been going on for more than a year. When the assessment is finished in the coming months, Kushner, as well as hundreds of other building coordinators, will know their buildings’ fate.
When the project ends, a “priority list” will come out, determining which buildings will be fixed first, Kushner said.
Until then, Kushner, Williams and others who are in and out of MacQuigg each day will continue to wait.
“We appreciate the small projects as they come,” he said. “Our department just doesn’t have the money to pay for renovations on its own.”
With two new elevators being installed, one in Watts and one in MacQuigg, Kushner said he hopes the issues do not worsen.
But with no major injuries or health concerns in the building so far, he feels lucky, even with the constant setbacks he faces, he said.
“The problems get worse and worse each year,” he said, “but any day that we don’t have any accidents continues to be a good thing.”
