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An early estimate to clean up
Fresno State’s McLane Hall, damaged by water when a cooling system pipe
burst July 1, is $500,000.
The preliminary estimate does not include equipment replacement or
repairs that may be necessary after the drying out process is completed
early next week in the 47-year-old 26,000-square-foot wing.
A third-floor leak in the building cooling system sent water down a
staircase and along ducts and conduits into classrooms, labs, offices
and conference rooms. The wing houses the College of Health and Human
Services and a geology lab within the College of Science and
Mathematics.
Steve Martinez, director of the Office of Environmental Health and
Safety/Risk Management, said an estimate of replacement costs of
equipment and furnishing is not available yet because some items that
got wet may be salvaged.
Giant air compressors on flatbed trucks Thrusday continued to pump
drying air through large-diameter temporary pipes throughout the
building. Fans and dehumidifiers also were set up to help dry out the
building.
Limited operations are expected to return to the wing on Monday, said
Associate Dean Andrew Hoff of the College of Health and Human Services,
whose offices were relocated to an undamaged part of McLane Hall.
Work to restore the building to full use should be completed well in
advance of the start of fall semester classes Aug. 25. No classes are
meeting in the wing over the summer.
While insurance will pay for the cleanup costs, the university is
self-insured for losses of equipment and furnishings.
Hoff said areas where documents and folders were stored were secured
shortly after the flood and no research documentation was reported lost
or damaged.
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