Rain causes problems in Music Hall
November 2, 1995
A bad roof in Music Hall is inviting Mother Nature inside, angering students and staff.
“It looks like it is raining inside,” said Sue Haug, assistant professor and head of the music department. The roof has been problematic for about a year, but Wednesday’s rain showers heightened the problem.
Though a contract was signed to repair the roof after several complaints, it will not go through until February, said John Sluis, assistant director for facility services.
That’s not soon enough for Haug. “With the rain last night and today, it is just pouring down [inside],” she said. The leaking is so bad in Room 130, the choral room, that classes had to be moved.
“We are doing our best to keep classes in session,” Haug added.
About 13 pails are placed in strategic places and mops and a wet vacuum were brought as reinforcements. “We are worried about the long-term condition of the roof,” Haug said. There is also excessive leaking in the recital hall, which may be a problem because there is a series of concerts scheduled there for November.
There is a big hole in the ceiling in one area of the recital hall that allows the rain water to hit the floor, but in most of the hall, water can be stopped because the ceiling is so high. The leaking, however, is still a problem because it is so noisy, Haug said.
About 15 custodians, mechanics and roof specialists responded immediately to the problem Wednesday morning, Sluis said. “The roof became a deluge this morning,” he said Wednesday.
Roof specialists have been shoveling off rock from the roof to find the worst spot.
“We’ve got to get the roof opened up at first, see what the roof looks like and make a judgment at that time,” Sluis said.
Sluis said he feels bad for the department, but he said he’s doing all he can to repair the roof.
He admitted, however, that “whatever we’re doing now is applying Band-Aids.”