Pipe bursts at counseling center

Monday morning did not start out well at Hot Springs County Counseling Center after a pipe burst some time over the weekend.

Hot Springs County Maintenance Supervisor, Chuck Carver, told the County Commissioners he received a phone call first thing Monday morning, letting him know there was a water issue and parts of the building were flooded.

When Carver arrived he found the source of the water, a burst pipe between the roof and the false ceiling in the southwest corner of the building.

After getting the water shut off, Carver found the carpet in most of the building had floated up and the seams were exposed. In addition, the water had filled the heating vents to the point water was actually being pushed through the vents into other rooms.

He got the furnace turned off and he and his crew began the task of extracting as much of the water as possible and called in Varney Clean Care to help.

Carver estimates there is a total loss of some of the sheet rock walls as they were saturated to the point the paint was bubbling up, the bubbles filled with water. About half of the less than three-year old carpeting is also a total loss.

The building, which belongs to the county, is covered by insurance, and the furnishings and equipment are covered by a separate insurance policy held by the counseling center.

The two insurance companies will be getting together to determine the full extent of the damages, hopefully by the first part of next week.

In other business, the commissioners approved the purchase of land directly across the street from the hospital that includes a four-plex, storage units and a house.

Bill Williams and Margie Molitor approached the commissioners about the purchase, suggesting it would be a good place to have some apartment-style housing for traveling nurses or visiting residents in the future.

The commissioners approved the purchase for $267,000. Williams and Molitor assured the commissioners the hospital already has the money set aside for the purchase, so it will not be costing the county any additional funding.