From bingo and line-dancing to euchre and ceramics, local senior citizens engage in a variety of recreational activities at the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center.
Now, they’ll have one more to enjoy ? aquatic sports.
Sometime Monday, a fire suppression system pipe burst at the 28 N. Washington St. facility, flooding the first and second floors along with the entire basement.
The pipe was located on the second floor in the stairwell just outside the Oxford Township meeting room.
‘It froze over the weekend when it was really cold, then as the temperature started to rise a little bit, the ice melted and the thing burst. The actual pipe itself broke,? according to Fire Chief Pete Scholz.
The aftermath was quite a spectacle as the facility was instantly transformed from senior center to splash pad.
Crumbling ceiling tiles laid in pools of cold water on the floor as sopping wet pieces of insulation hung from the ceiling. A large trash can in the kitchen overflowed with water as more continued to rain down from the ceiling.
‘It made me want to cry,? said Becky Paquin, senior citizen coordinator for the township parks and recreation department. ‘It’s heartbreaking to spend that much time revamping something (the senior center) and then just watch it get destroyed.?
The smell of burnt electrical components filled the computer lab where seniors used to hone their tech skills.
Paquin said all six of the lab’s computers were destroyed because their towers (the case that contains the main components) were sitting on the floor in the water.
‘There was water dripping in all the monitors and they were all smoking last night,? she added.
The water also destroyed a fax machine, the seniors? small library of books and some extra bingo supplies in the basement.
The basement, chock-full of items in storage, looked like the flooded cargo hold of a seafaring vessel.
‘Anything that was in the basement is basically gone,? Paquin said.
Of the 300-400 ceramic molds stored in the basement, Paquin said most of them were on shelves high enough to avoid direct contact with the water.
‘The ones that were on the lower shelves, those are all ruined,? she said.
Paquin’s not sure how the moisture in the air will affect the other molds, nor does she know the condition of the kiln.
Montgomery & Sons, an Orion-based fire and water damage restoration contractor, was immediately called in to begin the cleanup.
‘They were in there last night sucking the water out. They’ve got dehumidifiers going and big fans drying it out,? Scholz said.
Mold is a big concern, so the building needs to be thoroughly dried out to prevent its growth.
There’s no cost estimate of the damage yet, but the building is covered by the township’s insurance carrier. Scholz said it’s going to take a while to determine the level of structural damage caused by the water, not to mention contents damage.
As for how long the building will remain closed to the public, the chief said, ‘It’s going to be probably at least a month and I’d say that’s on the low side.?
It was shortly after 9 p.m. when Oxford Township Parks and Rec. Director Ron Davis, whose department oversees the senior activities, received word that something was amiss at the Vets Hall, as its commonly known.
‘Some lady over at ‘Wiches heard (the water) coming out. She saw it flowing out of the doors (front and back),? said Davis, who upon arriving at the building notified township Supervisor Bill Dunn of the situation.
‘You could kayak in that current,? Dunn said. ‘It was like a torrent.?
Both the Oxford Fire Department and village Department of Public Works were called to the scene to secure the building and shut off the flowing water.
All events and activities at the Vets Hall are cancelled until further notice.
Ironically, the residents of the Elk View Estates subdivision, which itself has been plagued by flooding problems for more than 10 years, were planning to hold a meeting at the Vets Hall the night after the deluge. Their meeting was moved to the fire station.
Dunn noted the location of the township board’s 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 meeting has also been moved up the street to Fire Station #1 (96 N. Washington St.)
ting on the floor in the water.
‘There was water dripping in all the monitors and they were all smoking last night,? she added.
The water also destroyed a fax machine, the seniors? small library of books and some bingo supplies in the basement.
The basement, chock-full of items in storage, looked like the flooded cargo hold of a seafaring vessel.
‘Anything that was in the basement is basically gone,? Paquin said.
Of the 300-400 ceramic molds stored in the basement, Paquin said most of them were on shelves high enough to avoid direct contact with the water.
‘The ones that were on the lower shelves, those are all ruined,? she said.
Paquin’s not sure how the moisture in the air will affect the other mold, nor does she know the condition of the kiln.
Montgomery & Sons, an Orion-based fire damage restoration contractor, was immediately called in to begin the cleanup.
‘They were in there last night sucking the water out. They’ve got dehumidifiers going and big fans drying it out,? Scholz said.
Mold is a big concern, so the building needs to be thoroughly dried out to prevent its growth.
There’s no cost estimate of the damage yet, but the building is covered by the township’s insurance carrier. Scholz said it’s going to take a while to determine the level of structural damage caused by the water, not to mention contents damage.
As for how long the building will remain closed to the public, the chief said, ‘It’s going to be probably at least a month and I’d say that’s on the low side.?
It was around 8:30 p.m. when Oxford Township Parks and Rec. Director Ron Davis, whose department oversees the senior activities, received word that something was amiss at the Vets Hall, as its commonly known.
‘Some lady over at ‘Wiches heard (the water) coming out. She saw it flowing out of the doors (front and back),? said Davis, who upon arriving at the building notified township Supervisor Bill Dunn of the situation.
‘You could kayak in that current,? Dunn said. ‘It was like a torrent.?
Both the Oxford Fire Department and village Department of Public Works were called to the scene to secure the building and shut off the flowing water.
All events and activities at the Vets Hall are cancelled until further notice.
Ironically, the residents of the Elk View Estates subdivision, which itself has been plagued by flooding problems for more than 10 years, were planning to hold a meeting at the Vets Hall the night after the deluge. Their meeting was moved to the fire station.
Dunn noted the location of the township board’s 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 meeting has also been moved up the street to Fire Station #1 (96 N. Washington St.)