HAMLET — The Sheetrock is up, painting has begun and wood for the stage floor is on order, so Cole Auditorium should be entirely open for the first show of the season in September.
So says Brent Barbee, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Richmond Community College. Barbee was on site the morning of June 25, after a leaking pipe sprayed more than 200,000 gallons of water into the auditorium and backstage, turning the orchestra pit into a lap pool and submerging four rows of cushioned seats.
“They pulled all of the moisture out of the air and, therefore, out of the seats” the day after the flood, Barbee said Tuesday — so the auditorium was dry within 24 hours. Workers with HCI Fire and Water Restoration also pulled down Sheetrock — not because it was damaged but because it could hide water in the walls.
“There was never water in the building (long enough) to create a mold issue,” Barbee said. But workers had to inspect the walls to make sure electrical and other systems were in working order.
At first, workers thought the soaked rows of seats could just be dried out. But, Barbee said Tuesday, at least four rows will have to be recushioned and repainted.
The college is working with its insurer, EMC, and so far has had no out-of-pocket expenses, Barbee said. He had no idea how much the final tab would be.
“It’s worked out as best it could,” he said. “At this point, everything (concerning repairs) is routine.”
Last to be done are floor covering — carpet and tile — and the stage, which will need new planking because the old floor buckled.
During construction, the college has accommodated summer camps and other events in meeting rooms and the auditorium lobby. The event seemed catatrophic because of the amount of flooding, but in reality, only a fifth of the building was affected, Barbee said in June.
The auditorium building rises up out of a hill. The only portion that sits lower than the hill is the orchestra pit. Thus, it was most adversely affected.
Reach Christine Carroll at 910-817-2673.