Colorado College didn’t escape the biblical floods that have plagued the state in the last week.
While not as severe, the aftermath was felt on campus, too.
The flooding has clearly affected Colorado Springs and Colorado as a whole, but how has the flooding affected Colorado College specifically?
Facilities Services staff reported that there have been approximately 25 roof leaks in the last few days across campus. While most of them are minor, a few have been more extensive.
For example, the old roof of the El Pomar Athletic Complex has had extensive flooding and will need some repair.
The tarps in the library covering various sections of books aren’t keeping dust out of CC’s text collection. Instead, the tarps are there to prevent potential water damage.
Tutt Library has had recurring leaks over the years, as “the roof is at the end of its life,” said Karl Greis, a member of the facilities department.
Jessy Randall, Special Collections Curator at Tutt Library, reassured that the library has not had any major damages due to this particular flooding. Even so, the library staff took preemptive measures to protect the books.
Greis says that when the Facilities Services staff went to the library to check the damages, “the librarians had already covered ‘Special Collections’ with tarps” just in case the flooding posed problems.
However, Randall says, “The recent rains did not cause any leaks in the Special Collections areas…the tarps never caught any water; they stayed dry—thank goodness!”
The college community can rest easy knowing our books have not been damaged.
Despite the inevitable demise of Tutt Library’s roof, Greis says that he has “never seen a roof of its kind last so long.” Officials say they are trying to hold off on fixing the roof until it is completely remodeled, which would cost approximately $250,000.
Facilities Services themselves do not perform the roof repairs; instead, they hire local companies to do the fixing, they said.
Many other buildings are in need of maintenance due to flooding, including Barnes Science Center, Packard Hall, Cornerstone Arts Center, Central Services, Cossitt Hall, and Tutt Science Center.
The Facilities staff said it was surprised that Tutt Science was damaged in the rains since it is a fairly new building.
Thankfully, the damage done at CC is fixable, and the staff is taking all the necessary steps to address the flooding issue.
The college community was, overall, spared of any irreversible damage.
Becca Manning
Guest Writer