Earlier this month, Mayville State University President Gary Hagen told the North Dakota Board of Higher Education that the fire suppression sprinkler system in Old Main urgently needs repairs.
Chairwoman Kathleen Neset asked if it was an immediate safety concern.
"It's hard to say," Hagen said. "You start with a 126-year-old building but the sprinkler thing just now intensified what I was going to say today."
Hagen went on to say sprinkler repairs would cost about $100,000 in the heavily used building.
"I don't know what can be done with things like that but is there $100,000 in the whole higher ed budget to fix the sprinklers?" he said. "We just found this out. We didn't know about it."
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Mike Stebner, vice president of Fargo's Nova Fire Protection, told the Herald he agrees the system needs repairs. The sprinkler heads are over 60 years old and a valve that holds air back so water can't flow through the pipes unless needed is about 50 years old - and the company that made it is no longer in business, making repairs difficult. Stebner said the attic above the system is being used as storage and is also unprotected.
"Like anything, it needs to be upgraded and modified," he said.
In an interview in the days following the SBHE meeting, Hagen said the fire marshall is examining the sprinkler system Wednesday, a visit Stebner will be along for as well.
The problem, Hagen said, came to light after routine maintenance checks.
"We always test our major systems on the campus so that's why it's a surprise," he said. "Why this came up now, you never how things develop, but this is a safety issue," he said. "It's important."
At the SBHE meeting, Hagen said Mayville has historically taken care of itself, pointing to a reduction in deferred maintenance from 40 percent in 2008 to between 6 and 8 percent now. But with a 4 percent budget cut during the 2015-17 biennium and a 6 percent cut expected in 2017-19, Hagen said times have changed.
"Quite frankly a month ago, two months ago before budget reductions we've always taken care of ourselves," he said. "We would have taken care of this."
Since the SBHE Hagen said he now thinks fixing the fire suppression system will cost less than $100,000 and the university will be able to pay for it if the SBHE doesn't. "With early estimate I'm not worried," he said.
