Closing of Antioch College campus—
Shutdown prompts safety concerns
By Diane Chiddister
The shutdown of the Antioch
College campus began last week with buildings put at risk and a violation
of the Ohio Fire Code when university officials dismantled the fire
protection system without removing furniture from the buildings.
“If the water has been turned off and there are still flammables
in the building, it’s a violation of the fire code,” according
to Miami Township Fire Chief Colin Altman on Friday.
While that was the situation on campus for at least several days last
week, university officials this Tuesday stated they want to rectify
the situation as soon as possible, according to Altman.
“We’re willing to work with them to get them back up to
compliance,” he said.
In the first steps of the shutdown last week Antioch University employees
turned off water to all unused buildings and drained the pipes. However,
the Ohio fire code requires that in “mothballed” buildings,
such as the vacant buildings on campus, “Fire alarm, sprinkler
and standpipe systems shall be maintained in an operable condition at
all times,” according to a letter faxed by Altman to university
officials on June 26.
The fire code stipulates one exception in which fire protection systems
can be dismantled, according to the letter. In that exception, “if
the heat and fire protection systems will be exposed to freezing temperatures,
fire alarm and sprinkler systems are permitted to be placed out of service
and standpipes are permitted to be maintained as dry systems (without
an automatic water supply) provided the building has no contents or
storage and windows, doors and other openings are secured to prohibit
entry to unauthorized persons.” The letter further says that all
combustible materials must be removed if the fire system is dismantled.
However, on Friday University Vice President for Student Services Milt
Thompson said that water in all unused buildings had been turned off,
thus dismantling the fire protection, and that many buildings still
had furniture inside. According to Thompson, who was on vacation, he
had not seen the letter from Altman and was not aware that this situation
violated the fire code.
“We’re not trying to violate any kind of code,” he
said. There had not been time to remove all furniture and other combustibles
from the buildings because “things happened pretty fast,”
he said.
Decisions regarding the shutdown were made by Antioch University Chief
Financial Officer Tom Faecke, according to Faecke in an interview several
weeks ago.
Faecke, University Chancellor Toni Murdock and University Board President
Art Zucker were not available for comment last week or this week due
to family and travel conflicts around the Fourth of July holiday, according
to university spokesperson Lynda Sirk. Faecke and Murdock did not respond
to calls seeking comment, and Zucker did not respond to an e-mail request.
Thompson was on vacation last week, and returned this Monday.
A breakdown in communication seemed to have led to the fire code violation,
according to Altman, who said he had been in communication with college
physical plant employee Darryl Cook, who then was laid off, and that
Cook apparently didn’t communicate Altman’s concerns to
Thompson. University administrators, including Faecke, had not made
contact with the fire department, according to Altman on Friday.
"The problem has been the university has not been forthcoming in
their plans for fire protection for the buildings,” he said. “No
one has contacted us.”
The university now has several options in order to comply with the fire
code, Altman said. University officials had planned to change from a
“wet” to a “dry” fire protection system, and
if the valve needed to make the change can be procured quickly, they
may be able to make the change in a matter of days, Altman said. If
not, the university will need to “recharge the system,”
and put water back into the pipes.
In the meantime, according to Altman, the vacant buildings need to be
under a “fire watch,” in which a responsible person walks
through the vacant buildings at least once an hour. According to Thompson
last week, buildings still in use on campus are the theater, the library,
Main Building and the Kettering building, where university offices are
housed.
Ideally, making a change from a wet to a dry fire protection system
should first be approved by the Greene County building inspector, Altman
said last week. But the building inspectors have not received any communication
from university leaders regarding plans for the shutdown, according
to Chief Building Official Al Kuzma on Friday.
“We’re in the dark,” Kuzma said.
Building owners are supposed to go through a formal process before shutting
down buildings, according to Kuzma. This process includes submitting
a letter from a design professional, such as an architect, identifying
the reasons for the shutdown and the plans for securing the buildings.
The building inspector then has 30 days to approve the application.
“They should go through this process before they shut down the
buildings,” Kuzma said.
According to Thompson Friday, he had attended meetings at which university
leaders and consultants stated that they would contact the building
officials, but Kuzma said that contact had not yet taken place.
Alumni concern
June 30 was the date for campus closure identified a year ago when the
trustees announced the college would be suspended due to financial exigency.
While since then there have been two attempts by college alumni groups
to reach agreement with the trustees to keep the college open, those
attempts appeared to have failed and plans for the shutdown continued.
However, at their regular meeting a month ago, the trustees surprised
college supporters by passing a resolution seeking an independent college
and asking the alumni board to present a process and a plan for achieving
that goal. Alumni leaders are moving ahead quickly to respond to the
resolution and will meet this week with representatives of the trustees,
according to alumni at last week’s reunion.
Several alumni who specialize in building preservation have sought the
opportunity to examine the buildings before the shutdown but have not
been given permission to do so, Jordan said.
“We have a deep concern about the facilities,” she said.
“The air conditioning issue is critical. By the end of July we
hope to have a more definite understanding of what needs to be done
and to move ahead. Time is not on our side.”
Trustees request consultation
At the university trustees June meeting, Faecke presented the plan for
the campus closure, which was approved by the trustees. At an open session
of that meeting, Trustee Sharon Merriman requested that Faecke consult
with an expert in the preservation of historic buildings and he agreed
to do so, according to an audio recording of the meeting.
In an interview several weeks ago, Faecke said that the board had “suggested”
that he consult with an expert rather than directing him to do so, and
that he planned to meet with Illinois architect John Padour, who had
worked with the Stanley Consultants, the firm the university hired to
conduct a facilities analysis.
While Faecke agreed to meet with a consultant, he did not feel obligated
to take the consultant’s advice, Faecke said in that interview.
He also said it was premature to speak about whether he would follow
a consultant’s advice because he did not yet know what that advice
would be.
However, he said, “We will do everything within our means to preserve
the buildings.”
At the June trustees meeting, Faecke also reported to the trustees that
he would follow standard procedures for mothballing buildings. However,
several aspects of the campus shutdown so far vary considerably from
guidelines for mothballing buildings as set out in the National Park
Service Brief 32, which is considered the standard for the procedure,
according to Glenn Harper, the manager of preservation for the Ohio
Historical Society. Especially, Faecke has stated that, due to cost
factors, the university will not provide minimal heat for buildings
in winter nor air conditioning in summer.
Harper, who is also an alumnus of Antioch, sent a letter to Murdock
and Zucker in early June regarding his concerns about the campus shutdown.
“Our office is concerned that without at least minimal measures
to mothball and stabilize the historic campus buildings during the period
in which they will be closed, significant damage may occur,” Harper
wrote. “We strongly suggest that forced air ventilation be provided
in the summer and at least minimal heat (45 to 50 degrees) be provided
during the winter months. According to the National Park Service Brief
32, “Mothballing Historic Buildings,” though closed up,
a building’s interior can still be affected by exterior temperatures.
Without proper ventilation and heating, moisture from condensation may
damage plaster, cause paint to peel, stain woodwork and warp floors.
If such conditions are allowed to continue, structural damage may occur
from rot or insects attracted to moist conditions.”
According to Faecke, if the consultant he meets with suggests maintaining
a certain level of heat and ventilation, he will “probably not”
follow the expert’s advice, due to cost considerations.
Faecke said he had responded to Harper’s letter, but declined
to discuss his response. Asked if he agreed with recommendations that
minimal heating and ventilation be maintained in mothballed buildings,
Faecke said he did not.
“There are a lot of opinions on this subject,” he said.
Murdock response to Village
Critical to the mothballing effort is securing the building from vandals,
break-ins and other natural disasters, according to the National Park
Service brief.
“Because historic buildings are irreplaceable, it is vital that
vulnerable entry points are sealed,” the report states. “Mothballed
buildings are usually boarded up, particularly on the first floor and
basement, to protect fragile glass windows from breaking and to reinforce
entry points.” The report also suggests that windows be covered
with wooden or pre-formed panels, for example.
According to a letter to Village Manager Eric Swansen dated June 13,
in response to a letter of concerns from Swansen, Murdock wrote that
“primary security will be from video surveillance cameras and
some motion sensor devices in selected buildings... . Other security
measures will be taken and in the interest of safety, those measures
will remain confidential.”
The National Park Service brief also emphasizes the importance of maintaining
adequate ventilation in closed buildings.
“Without adequate air exchange, humidity may rise to unsafe levels,
and mold, rot and insect infestation are likely to thrive,” the
report states, adding that ventilation is especially important in “masonry
buildings in humid climates.”
The report states that the minimum air exchange for most mothballed
buildings be one to four air exchanges each hour. “Even this minimal
exchange may foster mold and mildew in damp climates and so monitoring
the property during the stabilization period and after the building
has been secured will provide useful information on the effectiveness
of the ventilation solution,” the brief states.
According to the letter from Murdock, “our plan calls for periodic
assessment of all buildings to inspect for evidence of moisture and
mold.”
Regarding ventilation, Thompson said on Friday that “we’ll
be in and out of the buildings. We’re not worried about ventilation.”
Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com
