SSPA once again suffers leak

By Rebecca Brown, On-line Forty-Niner

April 27, 1998

 

In the basement of the SSPA building, students and faculty are fighting a losing battle in Room 006.

 

On any given day, rain or shine, the front right corner of the room is inundated with water.

 

"Any building as close to the water table as this building is poses a problem with flooding," Richard Outwater, director of facilities and technical planning said.

 

According to Outwater, engineers who designed the building more than 20 years ago "didn't think too carefully."

 

"The building should not have been designed this way in the first place," Outwater said.

 

The water is coming in from a different place than when flooding occurred two years ago, Outwater said.

 

In January 1996, the photo lab, photos and records of the journalism department were destroyed when the overwhelmed CSULB flood control system leaked into the exhaust system of Room 009.

 

In August of that same year, ground water mixed with hydraulic fluid in the secondary basement of the SSPA building, producing a rank black sludge that seeped through the elevator shaft, according to Daily Forty-Niner Business Manager Georganne Sparks.

 

"After the two incidents, Facilities Management had a crew put together that specifically works on clean up for this floor," Sparks said.

 

The cleanup crew consists of several facilities workers armed with buckets and mops sopping up the waterlogged floors after a new leakage.

 

Despite the efforts of Facilities Management, the water continues to plague the basement department, most recently Room 006.

 

Journalism professor Ivan Goldman said he calls Facilities Management often to get some results concerning the repair of the flooded room.

 

"All I ever get when I give Facilities Management a call is a guy with a mop," Goldman said.

 

"If I were in the Peace Corps in some third world country, this could be expected, but not here at a public university in California," Goldman said.

 

The paneling has been ripped from the walls and the parquet floor tiles are raised from the excessive water damage. Facilities Management continues to search for a way to stop the leaking.

 

However, Goldman said that after calling and complaining to Facilities Management once again about the water, he expected the mess to be gone.

_______________________________________________

 

"If I were in the Peace Corps in some third world country,

this could be expected, but not here at a public university in

California."

 

­ Ivan Goldman,

journalism instructor

_______________________________________________

 

When he entered the darkened the room he slipped, nearly falling into the puddle.

 

"There was a yellow sign up warning about the mess, but the room was too dark for me to see it," Goldman said.

 

"It is simply unacceptable. The least they could do is advise us to close the classroom," Goldman said.

 

Outwater said he feels that Facilities Management has done its part to alleviate the problem, despite persistent flooding.

 

Despite the complaints, Outwater said Facilities Management is serious about repairing the problem.

 

"It is up to the journalism department to close the room if it is unsuitable for classes to continue," he said.

 

"Exactly what is being done remains unclear because the problem has not been pinpointed yet," Outwater said.

 

Robert Quirk, director of Facilities Management, could not be reached to comment on the problem.

 

"I have a student who is pregnant and I don't want her or anyone else to slip and (get hurt) in this room," Goldman said.

 

After hearing Outwater's admonition, Goldman put a sign on the door of Room 006, officially closing the classroom.