October water main break near University of Missouri campus caused around $200,000 in damage
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The University of Missouri will repave the South Hall parking lot in the spring, completing its restoration after a City of Columbia water main break caused damage in the fall.
A 16-inch water main broke near MU’s campus on Oct. 24, causing damage to the residence hall and the surrounding parking lot.
Records obtained by ABC 17 News show the estimated cost of damage was around $200,000.
The total included costs such as $102,125 to Woodard Cleaning and Restoration, $39,701 to Royal Papers Inc. and $12,397 to Crockett Geotechnical Testing Lab.
Records show the water main break left 8.5 inches of water in the basement of South Hall, while a lower mechanical area got 34 inches of water.
MU spokesman Christian Basi said the residence hall is fully operational. As of January, he said all that was left to do indoors included some small tasks such as caulking and molding.
As for the parking lot, cars can drive and park, but Basi said it will be resurfaced this spring.
“It has been released for use, but it does need to be resurfaced,” Basi said. “Due to the weather, we’re not going to be able to resurface it until some time later this spring, probably sometime either mid- to late-March or later.”
The parking lot was reviewed by Crockett Geotechnical Testing Lab, which concluded there was no danger to vehicle parking. It found multiple voids beneath the pavement ranging from a quarter-inch to 1-inch thick.
Basi said those voids would be fixed when the pavement is resurfaced.
“We don’t want to just assume, so that’s why we had the full surface area done, then there was another study that was done again to test weight limits and make sure, ‘Hey, is this a safe area?’” Basi said. “Because we want to make sure we’ve got students parking in safe areas.”
The voids beneath the pavement were found in three different sections of the parking lot, and Basi said those three areas will be resurfaced, with the potential to resurface the entire parking lot.
The total cost of the damage was all paid for by the university’s insurance. Basi said as long as it’s below a $3 million threshold, damages can be paid out of a self-insurance fund.
Repairs were paid for out of the university’s Residential Life and parking and transportation budget insurance fund.
“It’s not tuition, it’s not state revenue,” Basi said. “In terms of Residential Life, it comes from the students who are paying to be in those facilities. And then with parking, it comes from the fees that are used or collected from people who are parking.”
When asked if the university ever spoke to the City of Columbia about helping pay for the damages, Basi said the city repaired the water main and MU’s insurance covered the damage.
“We understand water leaks happen,” Basi said. “... So, we’re fortunate that first of all we have good communications with the city and with other partners around the area, and then we also have a strong insurance fund that we’re able to pick up and pay for that when we need to.”
Tune into ABC 17 News at 10 on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to hear from a businessman who believes the city should be held responsible for water damage to their business’ parking lot.
