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PAST ISSUES

Franklin Pierce's quest for flooding solution

by Audra Clark
Exchange Staff

       In addition to hiring an outside contractor to clean out Lake View's frozen gutters, the school has decided to try to put in an improved drainage system at Lake View to prevent future flooding.  This comes after flooding earlier this winter forced a number of students out of their ground floor apartments.

      "We are looking at potentially installing a perimeter drain system," said Head of Facilities Doug Lear, "that would help the accumulation of water near those entrances." According to Lear one contractor, Laeighton A.White, is currently pricing the job and Lear has plans to contact two other contractors.

     However, at least one student doesn't see eye to eye with the plans.  "Usually people clean gutters in the fall and usually when you clean them, if you clean them right, it clears out, because that's the point of gutters," said  senior Andrew Bartus.  He wondered why the school would hire an outside contractor in the winter time to chip away at frozen gutters. "I am confused as to why it would be happening now because a job like clearing frozen gutters obviously costs money so why would you do it in the winter?"

     "It is a preventative measure more than anything," said Lear. The reason they need an outside contractor is that that the school doesn't have the equipment necessary to clean the upper gutters, such as lifts. Lear said that the gutters were filled with ice and pine needles. When asked if the school had cleaned out the gutters in the fall he responded that" we typically try to do them once a year."  Lear also said he doesn't know how much cleaning the gutters will cost because he has not gotten the invoice back yet.

     According to the head of EVS, Barbara Peloquin, because of the combination of the storm (that flooded the apartments), along with rain and ice, the gutters were not draining the water away from the doors. 

     "The best way to get the water away from the doors was to clean the gutters," said Peloquin. Also Peloquin said that the real problem was the draining system around the side walks and that cleaning the gutters was a secondary precaution.

    "The gutters were frozen and we were concerned that snow would fall from one roof to the next then fall at the entrances of Lakeview and cause water to pool up," said Director of Res Life Ken Ervin. According to Ervin, after the flooding the school wanted to investigate preventative measures, but "the ground was frozen so we couldn't do any drain work now but we couldn't just sit and do nothing, hoping that" another storm wouldn't hit and cause more flooding.

      "We had to do something," said Ervin, "fortunately Doug and I have a rapport where we could come together and alleviate the situation as soon as possible."

     "I think it's great that the school is taking initiative," said junior Anne Kendrick, who plans to live in Lakeview next year.

      According to Ervin, the flooding at Lake View this semester displaced 18 students and one ED for a 30 hour period, but six students were displaced from February 25 until just last week when they were given the option of moving back in during Spring Break. While the students were offered assistance to move into temporary school housing, given a micro fridge and free meal plans, the school would like to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

     This is not a problem the school normally has to deal with, according to Peloquin, because it was caused by the "continued accumulation" and that this was the "first traditional accumulation of snow since the buildings where built."

     According to Lear the flooding was caused by "a combination of things, number one, this winter being one of the worst New Hampshire state history" if not "the worst winter we've had since the buildings were constructed in 2003 and 2004."

For more information contact Head of Facilities Doug Lear at leard@franklinpierce.edu or Director of Res Life Ken Ervin at ervink@franklinpierce.edu.

Read Audra Clark's behind the scenes description of why writing this article started out strange and turned out well.
 

The Exchange

         Head of Facilities Doug Lear.

     Lake View apt. still with sand bags at its doors.

Lake View sand bags.

Junior Anne Kendrick is glad to hear of the plans.