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The Collegian FEATURE, PAGE 4
FEATURE, PAGE 5
Issue 6 • Friday, Feb. 03, 2023 •
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Atmospheric river storm leaves trail of damage BY VANESSA GOMEZ Staff Writer
Several large storms damaged the Delta College campus over the winter break, overwhelming the drainage system and causing some power outages. The majority of the damage was located primarily in the Budd and Shima buildings. Around 15 rooms experienced some sort of flooding, around one or two inches at most, according to Stacy Pinola, the director of facilities management. The storms toppled 25 trees, with one tree falling on the roof of the Budd building, causing some damage. Delta College did close its campus on Jan. 8 and 9 due to the severity of the weather. There was a power outage for those two days, but the majority of buildings had generators for backup. “We had to manage the storm drains while it kept raining,” stated Claude Chavez, who works as a plumber for Delta. “It got to a point where we could no longer get rid of the water, so we could only manage it so it didn’t get worse.” The robotics class and lab located in Budd 221 and 221G, respectively, did have some electronics receive water damage. Four computers were also damaged. These classes have been relocated to Shima 207 and 218, respectively. Chavez, who has been working at Delta for nine months, said that no one in the maintenance crew had ever experienced a storm like this before.
Two weeks of winter storms left damage across campus, mostly in the form of downed trees. Above, maintenance crews removing a downed tree in the Budd parking lot. On the right, a falling tree lands on the Budd Center. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEX BREITLER
Everything that was damaged by the water will be replaced. The carpeting in the rooms that were flooded was immediately removed to prevent mold growth, according to Chavez. The total cost of the damage is estimated to be around $1.8 million, which will be covered by insurance. Importantly, aside from the two days that the campus was closed, no services were paused or rescheduled.
The majority of the damage done was able to be resolved before students returned to campus on Jan. 17. Both Pinola and Chavez credit the maintenance crew for successfully getting the campus back on track to welcome students for the Spring 2023 semester. “We have a dependable crew that were ready to work during the winter break,” said Chavez. “If we didn’t, it could have definitely been a lot worse.”
Flood damage shuts down art gallery BY ARIANNA JUÁREZ Editor-in-Chief
Water damage caused the wood floor in Delta’s art gallery to swell and warp, prematurely ending the Faculty Art Exhibition. PHOTO BY ARIANNA JUAREZ
The heavy rain that flooded parts of Stockton over winter break also caused damage to Delta’s L.H. Horton Jr. Art Gallery. Drains along the entrance to the gallery overflowed following the series of intense rainstorms California experienced during the recent atmospheric river storm. This caused water to leak underneath the wood floor of the gallery, soaking the wood and warping it. This is not the first time water has damaged the intricately
laid wood floor. Just this past September, a burst pipe damaged the wood floor in another section of the gallery floor, necessitating repairs. This time, the flood damage was severe enough that it led to the premature closure of the Faculty Art Exhibition. This diverse collection showcased art made by Delta’s own faculty and staff. It opened on Dec. 1 and was meant to run a few weeks into the spring semester. The damaged floor has forced professors and faculty to collect their work far earlier than they anticipated.
For sculpture professor Gary Carlos, this meant that his piece “Fly Over” is now tucked away in his office instead of on display. Jan Marlese, gallery director at the Horton Gallery, says the work to repair the gallery floor is still in the beginning stages. According to Marlese, the damage to the flooring is severe enough that the entire wood floor will have to be removed. The wood floor will be replaced by finished concrete. Marlese said that although the timeline for repairs is just starting to take shape, the annual student art exhibition will
See FLOOD on page 8
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