The Dance Division’s main studio is undergoing renovation due to destruction.
A week before students arrived for classes at Ohio University, chaos broke out on the dance floor.
Putnam Hall’s main studio, which was once a maple-woodsprung floor used by the Dance Divion, is now being ripped up board by board due to water damage.
Debra McAdoo, assistant to the director of dance, had walked in Aug. 17 before the semester started and discovered the devastating scene.
“I felt panic,” McAdoo said. “Because I knew it was the week before classes were to start and that is a major classroom space, as well as performance space. Visually, it was panic-strickening.”
The damage to the floor was caused by a pipe leak that has now been repaired. Water from the original pipe leak had fallen from the ceiling and onto the dance floor, causing damage to both the floor and ceiling.
“The project cost is approximately $39,600 excluding OHIO Facilities Management staff time associated with miscellaneous cleanup activities and ceiling repairs” said Adam Riehl, interim executive director of Facilities Management in an email statement. “The estimated completion for the flooring restoration is mid-October.”
Taking the phrase ‘Bobcats recycle’ to heart, the wood that was not damaged will remain where it has for years to come.
According to Riehl, the damaged floor is being removed and disposed but the existing three-fourths inch solid maple flooring which was not damaged is being removed and reinstalled with the new maple flooring. The reused floor will be sanded and refinished along with the new floor for a consistent look and finish as the end product.
“It was upsetting to see the floor damaged in that way and at this time of year. It has had a great impact on us in terms of reorganizing classes and performances,” said Nathan Andary, dance lecturer. “It is a definite test of our resilience as dancers and performers because we learn and work how to negotiate in these types of situations so we were able to use our skills at this time.”
Andary expressed how it was wonderful to receive the amount of support to get this floor repaired and to get the students back into their home studio. Members of the OU College of Fine Arts and Facilities Management have worked very hard to make it happen.
The renovation has made this year’s concert schedule change slightly, such as The Movement Dance Concert. They will not be eliminating the concert but either relocating or pushing it back, said Madeleine Scott the Founding Director of the School of Dance, Film, and Theater.
“I’m very attached to that floor it’s a very beautiful floor … The floor was here when I first came in 1980,” Scott said. “It was devastating to see it completely ruined and underwater, but I’m really so encouraged by the care that has been taken by the individuals, who are overseeing its replacement; and we’re very grateful.”
@annachristine3
ag836912@ohio.edu
