THE CAMPUS Freede Center gets new flooring, PA system

Winter freeze flooding damage under repair; athletic teams found new ‘homes’

Beth Woemmel NEWS EDITOR

Over the winter break, significant freeze-induced flooding occurred across the OCU campus, affecting Methodist Hall, Cokesbury Apartments, the School of Law, and Freede Wellness Center.

Due to the flooding in Freede, the flooring of all three basketball courts, as well as the PA system, had to be removed, with replacements now underway.

“The weather, the temperature, caused some pipes to freeze,” Director of Athletics Corey Bray said.

“So, we had a pipe that froze here in Freede. When it thawed, of course, it broke, and water came into the arena in one of the closets where the PA system components are housed.”

The water then flooded the arena as well as its subflooring, the foundation of the basketball court.

“There are 2.5 inches of flooring out there ... just under 30,000 square-foot flooring,” Bray said. “So, the water got on top and un- derneath the floor.”

The water began to warp the wood, causing it to ripple, buckle and become uneven.

“You can sand a floor several times throughout its lifetime,” Bray said. “It didn’t have any more sands left in it to level it back out. So, the insurance adjuster totaled the floor. It’s been completely removed, and we’ll replace it.”

Beyond the floor and PA system, there were only minor damages throughout the building.

“There was some flooring in one of our coach’s offices: our head competitive cheerleading office,” Bray said.

“There was a sprinkler head that broke during the freeze and was dripping some water down on her flooring. Some of her flooring is getting replaced.”

Due to the damages to the floor, the athletic teams that practice in the gym have had to find different facilities to practice.

“The teams have been practicing all over the community,” Bray said.

FREEDE continues on Page 3