The Communications and the College + Young Leaders’ Teams are relocating within the building this week in preparation for repairs on the first floor of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
This comes roughly two weeks after the first floor was inundated with water on Dec. 23 when the relief valve on the fire suppression system froze and burst, resulting in damage to the office spaces.
The valve burst happened just after 1 a.m.
Building Manager Ethan Risley was informed of a problem at the building around 2:15 a.m. when he received a call from the fire alarm company telling him a smoke detector went off in the elevator pit. He arrived at the building to assess the situation at 2:45 a.m.
Water had flooded nearly half of the first floor. Risley said several gallons of water were in the elevator pit and it took two days for ServiceMaster to pump it out.
The main damage was to the carpet and baseboards. There was not a lot of electronic damage.
A contractor has been hired to complete repairs, which comprise replacing the carpet, baseboards and paint where needed. Repairs have already been made to the fire suppression system.
During this time, the Communications and the College + Young Leaders’ Teams will be located in the former offices of the Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries.