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BY ALLISON GANTT

In print | Published April 1, 2010

After poor flood proofing caused massive mold infestation and water damage in Olde Club at the beginning of the school year, facilities and the student Olde Club leaders have made substantial improvements to the social space.

During the week after winter break, Olde Club — the only student social space on campus that can hold concerts — was flood proofed, given a fresh coat of paint, and provided new furniture.

Though the mold problem was resolved within a matter of weeks after the discovery, continual flooding occurred throughout the fall semester this year.

“I remember it happening during parties and people were standing on chairs because there was…water in the basement,” Anna Zalokostas ’10, Olde Club booking director, said.

Since the flood-proofing, Olde Club has not had problems with additional flooding, Zalokostas said.
“As far as what everybody sees — the area where you have events and everything — that should be in good shape,” said Bill Maguire, maintenance manger.

Flood-proofing the basement was a “pretty substantial” project, Maguire said. Facilities had to remove a wall, water-proofed it from the inside, and then reconstruct it. Additionally, the original wooden baseboards were replaced with plastic ones to protect against further water leaks, Maguire said.

Zalokostas said that these changes have added to a safer space. For example, she said, the old flooring contained loose tiles that were dangerous for students walking in Olde Club.

Louis Jargow ’10, Olde Club Facilities Director, said that the painting and furniture replacement were projects the student leaders undertook.

Zalokostas said that she and others repainted the basement. She added that Olde Club has purchased some new furniture from Olde Club’s budget, got some free furniture from Beardsley and might even get some more furniture from Goodwill shortly.

Despite these changes, Jargow said that Olde Club still needs improvements. “I still don’t think that it’s a very safe space,” Jargow said.

Jargow said that plumbing problems, deteriorated flooring in the upstairs parts of Olde Club, and outdated and precariously hung sound equipment are just a few of the remaining safety issues.

The low height of the banister on the balcony is also a safety concern, Zalokostas said. Future projects for Olde Club may include more painting and a new counter in the basement, she added.

But Jargow admitted that Olde Club has improved since the beginning of the year.

When Zalokostas and Jargow went into Olde Club at the beginning of fall semester, they were confronted by water and “several different kinds of mold,” Zalokostas said. Zalokostas described the discovery as a “total catastrophe.”

“We tried to clean it ourselves, but we found out that that was totally impossible no matter how much we persevered,” Zalokostas said.

Jargow said that getting support from the deans for many of the Olde Club repairs has been difficult. T
he relationship between administration and Olde Club has become “estranged,” he said.

“The problem with the administration is that every time we’ve tried to talk to them they’ve said one of two things: they’ve said, ‘We’re not the people to be talking to’ or ‘Oh, right, this is a problem, but we don’t really have the money,’” Jargow said.

Paury Flowers, assistant coordinator of student activities, said that a lack of funds has limited Dean’s Office involvement in Olde Club but added that the Deans worked with Facilities to address the mold particularly.

“The feeling is that financial concerns being what they are right now, our goal is to work together with Facilities to make sure that things in the immediate future are safe,” Flowers said. No large-scale improvements for Olde Club are being planned as of right now, she said.

While help from the administration is necessary, Zalokostas said that the student body — and particularly the student directors — have primary accountability for the space.

“We were talking to a lot of administrators, but ultimately what it came down to was that if we consider Olde Club to be a student space, then it is the student body’s responsibility, collectively, to maintain it,” Zalokostas said.

During all of this, Zalokostas and Jargow said that SBC has been an invaluable resource.
The SBC funded a cleaning service for Olde Club at the end of the fall semester. SBC hired an outside company to do the cleaning because of the magnitude of the job.

Jargow said that SBC recently granted funding for another cleaning again this next year. Jargow thinks that this maintenance may turn into an annual project.

Despite these changes, there have continued to be problems.

A leak from a clogged toilet has caused some water damage in the equipment storage room of Olde Club. The toilet overflowed just prior to winter break and continued to leak until early January when Maintenance discovered the problem.

The water seeped through the ceiling and caused some of the ceiling to break apart and fall on the equipment and sound board, Zalokostas said.

Maintenance has been stalled from addressing the problem because equipment is in the way, Maguire said. A lot of the sound equipment is old and should be replaced, Zalokostas said.

“I think there’s a character about the [Olde Club] building and the space … it’s definitely a community, or at least that’s what we’ve been trying to foster, ” Zalokostas said.

Olde Club’s budget for this year is approximately $20,000, Zhu said. This money primarily covers the performers, but is also used to pay for technicians, food and other supplies, Zhu said.

Zalokostas said that Workbox and Facilities have been extremely helpful in coordinating the mold removal and flood-proofing.“All of the gaping holes and falling concrete have gotten fixed.”

Facilities still performs regular maintenance duties in the Olde Club space, Maguire said.

Maguire recommended keeping a fan or dehumidifier running in Olde Club during the summer to keep Olde Club safe and dry.

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