The lower level of the Oakland Center (OC) will be closed to the general public until further notice due to storm and groundwater flooding from the severe storms that occurred on Aug. 24.
The OC’s director, Chris Reed, said that most areas on the lower level experienced extensive water intrusion. Evaluation of the extent of damage and clean-up will continue into the week of Aug. 27.
“Upon initial review, the impact appears to be heavy,” Reed said.
“We are still making sure we get all the water out, clean the floors,” he said. We are going to have to, in some spots, remove baseboards and drill some holes in the walls just to see how much moisture we have in locations.”
All organizations or individuals with offices on the floor should be prepared to have their rooms cleared to be repaired, though the number of staff and students that access the offices should be limited. Any individuals who must enter the impacted areas are urged to exercise caution.
“The biggest things to watch out for are standing water and anything electrical,” he said. “General cautiousness and taking your time will be most important. And if you’re not sure, let things be and reach out to us so that we can assist where we can and make sure that things are done safely.”
It is currently unknown how long the cleanup process will take. With the Sept. 6 start of the fall semester imminent, Reed said that the hope is to lessen the impact on staff and students as much as possible and keep the campus community updated.
“We already started discussions of what are the most essential services and how do we make sure that they are still accessible as students start to return next week, and especially in a couple weeks when classes have started,” he said.
“We’ll continue to do that through the weekend and early next week to determine what needs to move to another location.”
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. To stay updated on any more news, visit the OC’s website and stay updated on emails from University Communications and Marketing.
UPDATE 8/31/23:
The lower level of the OC is expected to begin its phased reopening to the general public on Friday, Sept. 1. The majority of spaces are predicted to be open by the end of next week.
“If areas were less impacted, our goal was to get those areas opened first, and also the highly public spaces,” said Reed. “The Habitat, the hallways, the Grizz Den, the food pantry –– we wanted to make sure that those were open when students return to campus.”
Many areas had to have sections of drywall removed in order to properly dry insulation. The reflection room and two meeting rooms are predicted to be closed for several weeks due to flooring replacement. Any individuals or groups who have reserved those spaces can expect to be contacted by Reed about relocation.
Spaces that are unavailable will remain behind closed doors until renovations are complete. Additional work may have to be done in the future to replace tile and carpet in areas as the situation continues to be monitored.
To stay updated on any more news, visit the OC’s website and stay updated on emails from University Communications and Marketing.
