Spring Break
Theater damaged by flooding
by Jillian Wagner
News Editor
News | 8/26/08
Posted online at 2:15 AM EST on 8/26/08
The Carl J. Shapiro Theater in the Shapiro Campus Center suffered structural damage in mid-July due to a week of severe flooding. University staff replaced the damaged stage and made other repairs, Student Activities Advisor Rebecca Lehrhoff said.
Lehrhoff said the campus needs a better drainage system outside the back door of the theater. The drain is too small, and water runs down from the faculty club and pools by the back door of the theater, she said.
Additionally, a gap underneath the shop door, known as the threshold, allowed water to rush into the theater.
"The water didn't just come into the threshold; it came in and flooded the entire shop. Then it came into and flooded the actual stage and completely ruined the stage," Lehrhoff said.
According to Lehrhoff, the stage consists of four layers: a layer of masonite that gets painted for every show, a layer of wood, a layer of beams that support the stage and a thick layer of concrete at the bottom. The damage was so extensive that every part of the stage had to be ripped up and completely renovated.
"The threshold was completely replaced, and as soon as [the facilities staff] did that, there weren't any more problems. But unless they change the drainage system, there are no guarantees for future damage," Lehrhoff said.
Student Activities Operations Specialist Mark Metevier said that plans to address the drainage system and the topography of the land around the theater are not concrete at this time. He said, "We're basically just having casual conversations right now about how we can look at things a bit differently."
Metevier said, "The weather stripping on the shop door had worn away and was on schedule to get replaced, but because we had such a wet summer, the ground was saturated and the water didn't have anywhere else to go."
Lehrhoff said this was the most severe incident of water damage to the theater.
The facilities staff provided the theater with sandbags, which will now be placed around the shop door to prevent future flood damage.
Lehrhoff said the damage will not impact the start of the semester.
"We made sure that the deadline was well before people would use the stage," she said. "The green room and stage have been redone and are set to go."
Lehrhoff said the campus needs a better drainage system outside the back door of the theater. The drain is too small, and water runs down from the faculty club and pools by the back door of the theater, she said.
Additionally, a gap underneath the shop door, known as the threshold, allowed water to rush into the theater.
"The water didn't just come into the threshold; it came in and flooded the entire shop. Then it came into and flooded the actual stage and completely ruined the stage," Lehrhoff said.
According to Lehrhoff, the stage consists of four layers: a layer of masonite that gets painted for every show, a layer of wood, a layer of beams that support the stage and a thick layer of concrete at the bottom. The damage was so extensive that every part of the stage had to be ripped up and completely renovated.
"The threshold was completely replaced, and as soon as [the facilities staff] did that, there weren't any more problems. But unless they change the drainage system, there are no guarantees for future damage," Lehrhoff said.
Student Activities Operations Specialist Mark Metevier said that plans to address the drainage system and the topography of the land around the theater are not concrete at this time. He said, "We're basically just having casual conversations right now about how we can look at things a bit differently."
Metevier said, "The weather stripping on the shop door had worn away and was on schedule to get replaced, but because we had such a wet summer, the ground was saturated and the water didn't have anywhere else to go."
Lehrhoff said this was the most severe incident of water damage to the theater.
The facilities staff provided the theater with sandbags, which will now be placed around the shop door to prevent future flood damage.
Lehrhoff said the damage will not impact the start of the semester.
"We made sure that the deadline was well before people would use the stage," she said. "The green room and stage have been redone and are set to go."
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