Flood at Sage Point Forces 160 U Students into Temporary Housing
Sage Point Buildings in the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, UT on Monday August 27, 2018.(Photo by Curtis Lin | Daily Utah Chronicle)
October 2, 2019
Students have been temporarily moved out of Sage Point’s 812 building on campus at the University of Utah after a boiler room flooded on Monday evening, confirmed University spokesperson Annalisa Purser.
According to Lexie Maschoff, assistant director of communications for the U’s Housing and Residential Education, around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, Housing and Residential Education sent a text alert to all residents in the building saying the water would be shut off. An hour later, another text told students they were required to move out after housing staff — trained to assess incidents like flooding — determined the building was temporarily unsafe to reside in. Fire safety and student comfort were primary concerns. The water was turned off at 11 p.m. that night.
The buildings, located near research park on the upper south side of campus, exclusively house first-year undergraduate U students, according to Housing and Residential Education’s website. There are accommodations to house 700 students. Maschoff commented that 160 residents were affected.
Maschoff says those students were given the option to stay in temporary housing, or with a family member or friend. The University Guest House and empty rooms in residence halls were assigned for students opting for short-term university housing. Both options were near evenly split, though residents who stayed off-campus requested for the supplied temporary housing after Monday night.
Purser says, “Housing and Residential Education has been communicating directly with students who are affected.”
Much of the equipment and utility devices inside the boiler room at Sage Point have been affected by the flooding, which Maschoff notes could pose difficulties for the building’s ability to fully operate. A text message directed to all affected residents was sent out at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to provide an update about the building. The crack on the water pipeline has been detected and its piping system will be replaced, including the boiler room equipment. None of the dorms and student belongings received water damage.
Maschoff says students are expected to return to their buildings on Thursday morning. “We understand this is unfortunate timing for students during their midterms,” she said.
