Problems persist in Bromley

by Lindsey McKay
Staff Writer       

Ohio University sophomores Julie Nikles and Jennifer Sieg studied in their Bromley Hall room yesterday to the whine of drills as OU Facilities Management employees replaced their shower.

Water to their seventh floor suite was shut off Friday following a leak, which had been dripping into a sixth floor suite for the past few weeks, Sieg said.

The leak probably was caused by the shower’s cracked base, which employees had attempted to repair without success, said Greg Coen, OU assistant director of maintenance and operations for zone maintenance.

The eight residents affected by the leak have been showering in two vacant third-floor suites, said Teresa Iles, OU associate director of residential operational services.

Also, some Bromley residents have noticed a black substance in their tap water, a problem officials first encountered about two weeks ago, said Randy Shelton, OU director of Housing and Food Services.

Bromley's pipes contain sediment, leading to drain line blockage and causing black flakes in the water, Shelton said. So far the problem is confined to certain sections of the building, but it could affect other floors if drains become clogged elsewhere.

Sieg said residents on her floor have been contending with other plumbing concerns, ranging from clogged sinks to broken toilets, since the beginning of the quarter.

Plumbing problems in Bromley mostly are a result of its size and age, Iles said.

"When the Bromley Group owned (the building), it wasn't at full capacity. Now we're 98 to 99 percent full, so it's a heavier load on the plumbing," she said.

Bromley officials have offered to move students to other rooms while water lines are under repair, Shelton said. It is difficult to fix the pipes with students living in the building, so officials are planning to finish the repairs during winter break.

More repairs are underway in Bromley than in other halls because of its large size, but the problems are no worse than those in other buildings, Coen said.

Residents also are waiting to use Bromley's pool, which was filled Tuesday.

The pool is not yet open to students, Iles said. The water needs to be filtered and chlorinated before it can be used.

When the pool is ready, Bromley officials will decide its hours of use by surveying the building's residents and will hire lifeguards from OU's recreation department.