Senior Center Drying Out After Water Leak

The Lexington Senior Center is still drying out after a Friday water heater break in an upstairs condominium led to water-soaked walls below in the center's main and lower levels, but officials expect to have the center completely reopened by Thursday.

The break happened around noon on Friday, and Senior Center staff members noticed water flowing down the wall and over the door fixture near the center's main entrance, said Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services director. The water also continued inside the wall to the lower floor of the center.

The leak originated in an electric water heater in an upstairs unit of the Muzzey High Condominiums, located on the floors above the Senior Center. The residents of two condos where the break occurred were not at home, and firefighters entered both apartments through the exterior windows, according to the fire report. Firefighters shut off the water heater, and aided with property protection.

The town announced Friday that the Senior Center would be closed on Monday as efforts were made to dry and repair the center. Today, the center was partially open, with most activities able to continue on the lower level, said Rodgers.

The dining room, which hosts lunch daily, was also closed today, though Meals on Wheels service continued as usual.

Access to the Senior Center was also rerouted through the Muzzy High elevators inside the building's main entrance, as the area inside the double doors of the center was being dried with large blowers attached to clear plastic tubes, routed through the walls and ceiling.

"Basically, it's a safety issue," Rodgers said. "When you have a lot of people coming in the building with mobility issues, it makes sense for them not to go through."

A movie scheduled to be aired this afternoon was going on as planned on the lower level, and Rodgers said the center will again be partially closed before it is likely to be fully open again by Thursday.

Rodgers said it was fortunate the leak happened on a weekday when staffers were present, otherwise the damage may have been worse if the leak had gone unnoticed.

It is the tenth leak at the Senior Center building in the last two years, she said, and was clean water. Sewage leaks and larger water leaks requiring more repairs – including new carpeting – have happened in the past, with the last major leak happening in May 2007, Rodgers said.

Rodgers said it is unknown how much the repairs will cost the town, but the Dept. of Public Facilities was overseeing the drying and repair process, while the Town Manager's office was also assisting.

"Now we're drying out," she said. "We hope to be completely dried out today – it looks like late today."