The weather is not the only thing getting colder at Keene State College– the water in one of the residential halls is, too. For about two weeks, residents of Pondside II’s B building have had a much chillier-than-preferred experience while doing everyday tasks like showering and washing dishes. Residents noticed a lack of hot water on Oct. 16 and notified the facilities and maintenance team, who have been working since then to resolve the issue.
Colin Burdick, Keene State’s associate director of facilities, said he doesn’t expect the building to be without hot water for much longer. He said he understands that the situation is a major inconvenience, but there’s only so much the facilities and maintenance team can control when operating alongside third-party contractors.
“We got a call that Thursday about water dripping down to the first floor, investigated it and found a leak in the upstairs mechanical room. The pipe leaking was above the boiler that provides domestic hot water, which got compromised, and figuring that out took us to Friday afternoon,” said Burdick.
He continued, “Our gas contractor came and did some preliminary troubleshooting, but the whole area was just soaked. They had to give it a weekend to dry out, and then we determined that we needed new parts. Water and electronics don’t mix very well.”
Burdick said his team was expecting to receive the new parts on Oct. 27, as long as those involved with the resolution were able to keep their schedules on track. The contractors that the facilities and maintenance department works with also have commitments to other businesses, so they are not able to constantly be on campus.
“We don’t have the personnel in-house for these things, so we do rely on contractors. Granted, we often get priority because of the relationships we’ve built with them, but some stuff is completely out of our hands, like a supply chain issue,” said Burdick. “We have some equipment that’s 20 or more years old, and sometimes the parts aren’t even made anymore. Then we’d have to find an alternative.”
B building resident junior Lee Gleason shared that they’ve been negatively affected by the situation, largely due to their Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Gleason said their shower water was “pond temperature with no regulation,” and they got stuck in a POTS episode after utilizing it, as they weren’t aware that hot water wasn’t an option.
“This situation is really hard for people with disabilities and chronic conditions. We [their suitemates] have gone through every day and haven’t really seen anyone fixing it downstairs,” said Gleason.
Gleason also said their suitemates had resorted to cloth baths, a technique often used when camping, as opposed to using the Spaulding Gymnasium showers.
Pondside community director [CD] Kevin Ingram sent out an email to residents on Oct. 21, giving students the opportunity to opt for a “temporary space” until hot water was restored. The email also included the hours of Spaulding Gymnasium, which had been offered as an alternative shower location. Ingram said he “appreciated the students’ patience and flexibility” and apologized for the inconvenience.
Another B building resident, junior Ellie Kamienski, said the issue was not being treated as an emergency because there were accommodations offered. She said “even doing dishes” was difficult, and she just wanted hot water back in the building.
“We’ve all been trying to use our showers here, but it’s been freezing cold. Not even just a cold shower; we’ve had to take showers in ice-cold water. It’s terrible,” she said. “I feel like they could be doing more, but I do think it’s something with the water heater. They did tell us that. Even if it is the water heater, I think it’ll probably be another week or two until it’s fixed. I hope they do something else to help us.”
In regard to other facilities or maintenance problems, students are encouraged to utilize the maintenance request form and submit a workload order. According to Burdick, workload orders have been lower this year, which could either be interpreted as the team doing their job or just students avoiding reaching out.
Burdick said it can be frustrating when students neglect issues because they’re afraid of facing damage and vandalism charges or simply don’t want a staff member in their dorm. He said the facilities and maintenance team is understanding and knows that many buildings are older, so things are bound to break or face damage over the years.
“We’re just there to help. Honestly, we don’t want to be there any more than you want us there. We don’t care about what you have in your room, and we are about as harmless as they come. We’re probably more scared of you than you are of us,” he said. “It does make me nervous that people aren’t reporting things and are deciding to band-aid it themselves. The form is as simple as reading the instructions, putting the information about your problem in and letting us help. Help us help you.”
To Pondside II B building residents, Burdick said, “If everything goes well, I don’t think we’ll be out of hot water for much longer. Maybe another couple of days unless there’s some issue where a part doesn’t fit. We’ll see what happens when the new parts arrive, but we are hoping to be on it by the end of the week.”
Chloe Erno, News Editor for the Equinox, is a resident of Building B in the Pondside 2 Apartments and had no part in the writing or editing of this article.
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
smenard@kscequinox.com
