Bressler Hall experienced a water main break on Jan. 24 due to cold temperatures, requiring the Memorial Union to shut off all running water for four hours, according to Brad Irish, the Memorial Union assistant director of operations.
The Ram’s Den, the Total Image Hair Salon and the 193 Coffeehouse were not operational on the day of the main break, according to Ryan Crowley, the coordinator of operations at the Memorial Union.
“One of the biggest issues we had to deal with was people asking where they could fill their water bottle or use the bathroom,” Crowley said.
At the time of the main break, the university did not send a mass communication of the incident, according to Riley Buscher, the senior building manager at the Memorial Union. However, there were notices posted on television screens throughout the building.
“Since the water main break affected such a small area, a campus wide email wasn’t needed,” Buscher said. “But there were a good number of signs posted all around the building the day of the break.”
There were some flooding concerns that arose from the water main break, according to Crowley. Since the Memorial Union and Bressler Hall are connected to the same main, the water had to be turned off as a precaution.
It is unclear how much of a financial hit was taken to the building’s businesses like the Ram’s Den or the Total Image hair salon, according to Crowley.
Logan Byrne, an employee at the Ram’s Den, was scheduled to work on Jan. 24. When the water main broke, his shift was canceled all together.
“There was a morning shift that started when it happened,” Byrne said. “But after 11 a.m. they weren’t operational, obviously, so I didn’t come in.”
Byrne said that he wasn’t financially burdened by missing his shift that day. He mentioned he could make up the lost income quickly and that he likes getting a break every now and again.