Roofers contracted by the Brooks Development Authority left a drainage pipe exposed during regular roof maintenance which led to a leak in the large auditorium at the Brooks City-Base Campus this morning.
Officer Duran of the University Police Department estimated the water’s depth was, at most, half an inch.
Duran showed a photo of what the auditorium looked like before a member of the roofing company mopped the water from the auditorium and the hallway.
Referring to the photo, he said the water collected on the floor measured approximately “3 yards by 6 yards.”
Duran said the roofers, custodial staff and members of the facilities team responded to the situation rapidly, compared to other places he has been employed.
“These people got it together,” Duran said. “Everybody got their equipment together. A safety officer came quickly and did their part.”
No one was allowed in the auditorium during the cleanup because of a potential safety hazard posed by water coming into contact with wiring and electrical outlets.
Marilu Reyna, associate vice president for university communications, spoke with Marshall Lasswell, director of facilities services who was unavailable to speak to The Mesquite because he was managing the cleanup.
Reyna relayed the message that a roofing company hired by the Brooks Development Authority, who owns the building, is contracted to complete a multi-phase roofing project which began several weeks ago. Reyna was not able to provide the completion date, but indicated that Lasswell is supervising the project through deadline.
The contractor will continue to re-roof the building after [the leak] is fixed, Reyna said.
As for the auditorium, Reyna said it will be back to normal by the end of the day. There are no afternoon classes held on this campus.
