Students relocated after pipes cracked

Nearly 100 students have been affected by cracked pipes in Commons Building 3, including 16 students who have been relocated to residential dorm rooms and nearby hotels, officials said.

After a resident placed a work order earlier this semester complaining of bugs in her apartment, officials investigated the situation Thursday and eventually found multiple cracks in a pipe, forcing residents to cope without water for nearly eight hours a day since. Although officials initially told Commons 3 residents maintenance would only take one day, they found the problem was much larger than they initially anticipated — and had to move 16 first-floor residents out of their apartments over the weekend.

"As they started doing the repairs, they found more cracks, and then we realized we had to shut [the water] off and that it was going to take days to repair," said Gina Brasty, director of South Campus Commons and Courtyards. "Friday afternoon we found more severe issues, and so at that point we had to call in to take some safety measures."

While officials had hoped to finish maintenance today, the repairs will likely take at least another week, officials said. The cause of the cracks cannot be determined, they said, and they informed residents construction may take longer than planned.

"We hope to have the issue causing us to relocate you repaired by Tuesday, but as we investigate the situation, additional repair work may be necessary," read an email sent Friday by South Campus Commons management and maintenance operations.

Some of the displaced students have been housed in the Quality Inn — a nearly 15-minute walk away from campus — while others have been placed in empty residential dorms.

"It's in their lease that we supply them with alternative housing," Brasty said.

Since the students who have remained in the building have had their water shut off every day since Thursday, except for Sunday, officials provided each affected resident 125 Terp Bucks for the week. Students who had to move out have been given $20 a day in MasterCard gift cards.

Students, however, will not likely see a lower price tag for this month's rent, since officials have paid for their alternative housing and provided them with money for food and other amenities, they said.

Maintenance crews began construction yesterday to repair the pipes — which includes hours of jackhammering a day — much to the dismay of many Commons 3 residents.

"The way that it's been handled is really poor," said senior history major Connor Brooks. "It makes me feel like they really don't care about telling us or working with us, even though we're the people who live there and pay for it."

Other residents, however, said officials have handled the situation relatively well given the circumstances.

"If you were in any other apartment complex, they wouldn't be doing it the same way," said junior Italian and Spanish major Laura Jones, who added that she cannot use her bathroom until next week. "I think Commons is doing a better job."

Although many students have been inconvenienced, Brasty said she hopes residents understand officials are doing everything they can to ensure the situation is taken care of quickly.

"We ask that the students understand that things like this happen," Brasty said. "We understand that it can be frustrating, but everyone is working hard to fix this problem."

amenabar@umdbk.com