University Times

Pitt-Bradford reopened March 2 after being closed for most of last week due to a 24-inch water main that broke Feb. 24.

The emergency on campus drained the City of Bradford’s water system, and UPB students were encouraged to travel home for the duration, although 200 of the regional’s 900 students remained. The campus dining service continued to provide a limited menu of meals and bottled water was available. Portable toilets were brought in.

Bradford’s water main break took place right outside of Blaisdell Hall, seeming to turn the pathway next to Blaisdell into a creek (above) and the area outside its front door into a lake. “We were lucky no water got into any buildings,” says campus spokesperson Pat Cercone.

The loss of a reported five million gallons of water also closed local businesses and schools and left area residents without working taps.

While the campus has reopened, a boil-water advisory remains and some water fountains still are unusable.

Spokesperson Pat Cercone expects the boil-water instruction to continue for “at least another couple of days.” She says UPB still is providing bottles of water for students and has delivered water to all faculty and staff offices. The campus web site also has posted an FAQ on procedures for safe water use.

During the previous week, “only essential personnel were here,” she reports. That included administrators and staff in facilities management, student services, health services, counseling, residence life and housing. “We wanted to make sure we had enough resources to provide services to those students who remained,” she says.

While making up missed classes will be necessary for faculty and students, Cercone says, “our dean of academic affairs has asked the faculty to be as understanding as possible, while making sure all the material for the semester is covered.”

“It’s always delightful to see how hard working and resilient our campus community is,” she adds. “We’re a hardy bunch up here.”

—Marty Levine