Late January and early February brought record-low temperatures to Cleveland. Fox 8’s weather team reported a record low of -10 degrees, beating the previous record of -4 set in 1873, and over a week was spent at sub-freezing temperatures.
Loomis Hall, a building at Baldwin Wallace University that houses programs and facilities related to the Media Production major and the Communication Sciences and Disorders major, has borne the brunt of this extreme weather.
Various old leaks have sprung anew from the ceilings around the building, and one room in particular, Room 132, had to be closed because of active leaks.
Dan Karp, the vice president of marketing and communications at BW, said “This has been an icy and snowy winter with freeze/thaw temperatures which causes ice backups and can cause leaks. [Buildings and Grounds] has the roof repair on the list when the weather breaks and allows for roof repairs.”
However, these leaks are not just a recent issue, but have allegedly been a problem since at least 2014, when current Adjunct Lecturer Paul Peters was a student at BW. He was a student from 2014-2018 and said he remembers the leaks being “pretty excessive” all the way through his graduation in May of 2018.
“The leaks were located in a couple locations in the western section, with one being outside the current equipment offices and the other being where the garbage cans are now,” Peters said. “I believe that the leaks were supposed to have been fixed when the Math and Computer Science departments moved out. But, alas, whatever they did seems like it didn’t resolve the current leak outside The Exponent room.”
The leak Peters described sits just outside the offices used by The Exponent, and consists of a long tube running down from the ceiling into a large container which is routinely dumped out and replaced.
Karp said that Loomis was constructed in 1950 and was built with several different roof sections. Many of those sections have been replaced over the years, while some have only needed minor repairs. Karp said that the leaks in the building were patched and not leaking for most of the winter, but recent weather has changed that.
“The recent snow accumulation and ice build-up have brought melting ice over flashing resulting leaks,” Karp said. “Again, any possible repairs will be done when the weather breaks allowing for roof repairs. There are no departmental or service issues affecting the repair of these areas.”
However, the issue of the leaky ceilings is most problematic for the campus radio station, WBWC 88.3 The Sting, which has its studio in Loomis Hall. General Manager and junior Media Production student Alex Dettmer said that the ceiling leaks have been affecting the area directly above their main studio turntables, which are part of their on-air broadcast setup.
“The primary concern is the risk of water exposure to electrical circuits and broadcast equipment in the studio,” Dettmer said. “Any moisture near that equipment presents the potential for damage to critical components used in our live broadcasts.”
As a result, Dettmer said the station has been forced to temporarily halt the use of their turntables to minimize the risk of damaging the equipment. This takes away an important part of the station on-air broadcasting capabilities.
“One of the unique aspects of WBWC is our ability to play vinyl live on-air, which is increasingly rare for radio stations,” Dettmer said.
Karp said that the Buildings and Grounds Department gives frequent updates to Professor Joe Tarantowski, who is the Chief Engineer for the radio station, and said there are currently no “active leaks” in the station, but that the situation is being “frequently monitored.”
Overall, Karp stressed that these leaks are due only to the extreme weather, especially on flat roofs, and that repairs will be made as soon as weather allows.
