county building #2

This is County Building #2 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, earlier this evening.

County Building #2 got some water damage Monday, but the situation could have been worse if a member of the county's IT staff hadn't showed up for work that day -- President's Day -- to put in some overtime on a work project.

On a day of single-digit temperatures, a pipe froze and then burst, causing flooding throughout about 50 percent of the building.

If not for that employee, County Manager Jay Gsell said, the flooding wouldn't have been discovered until staff showed up for regular work hours on Tuesday morning.

The water spread through the building as just a thin layer, pooling in areas of floor depressions, and had to be squeegeed out. About 18 members of the Town of Batavia Fire Department turned out for the job.

Gsell said that volunteer effort was a big help in building cleanup.

However, there are storage shelves -- mostly belonging to history department -- with water still standing under them.

Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said contractors from ServePro will provide an estimate to finish the drying out process. He estimated the bid will be from $20,000 to $40,000 and he asked the Public Service Committee yesterday to authorize the contract on an emergency basis.

He expected the building's heaters to be running full force overnight to help dry out the building.

While no historical records or artifacts were damaged in the flooding, continued moisture is a threat to records and if it gets into the walls it could lead to mold and mildew problems.

There was flooding under the false floor in the county's server room, but all of the cables and connectors are encased in waterproof coverings so no equipment was damaged.

Earlier today, antenna maintenance taking place at County Building #2 on West Main Street Road, Batavia.