A broken hot water flex line flooded the Shima building at San Joaquin Delta College over the 2021 holiday break, affecting 11 different rooms and causing just over $1 million in damages.
Delta College has insurance to cover the cost of the many repairs needed, which include removing all the wet material, replacing the damaged sheetrock, and putting in new flooring.
Despite the leak starting on the third floor of the Shima building, it was able to make its way down to the floors below and cause drastically more damage by going through the open mechanical shaft that is connected to each floor of the building.
The bakery program, centered in Shima 301, was affected the most by the flooding The program was able to quickly move back to an online model used in previous semesters due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Recognizing the importance of being in the classroom, Facilities has prioritized repairs and we should be back in the classroom by mid-semester,” said Christopher Guptill, dean of Arts, Humanities & Multimedia.
Many other programs and rooms were affected, as well.
The Student Food Pantry, located in Shima 101, was also flooded and had to move to Shima 117 while repairs were completed.
The L.H. Horton Art Gallery was also damaged, but has since opened to the public with the Visions in Clay exhibit, running until March 19. The show is the first public opening for the gallery since 2019.
Various other offices and classrooms were damaged. The classrooms affected are Shina 214, Shima 305, Shima 401 and Shima 402. The affected offices are Shima 208, 209, 212 and 213. The AV closet in Shima 403 was damaged, as well.
Considering the age of the pipes in some of the older buildings on campus, a flood like this was just waiting to happen.
“As a preventative maintenance measure the flex hoses will be replaced every five years.” said Stacy Pinola the director of facilities management and operations.
These preventative steps are essential to maintaining the school and will lead to drastically fewer accidents like these on campus.
The Shima Center was constructed in 1975. The Science and Math Building, opened in Spring 2015, is the newest classroom building on campus. It was constructed with funds from the $250 million Measure L bond, passed in 2004, and ran into several high-profile delays and budget overruns.