{"id":5616,"date":"2026-04-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=5616"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:14:07","slug":"flooded-disruption-to-hardin-valley-campus-met-with-teamwork-and-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/15\/flooded-disruption-to-hardin-valley-campus-met-with-teamwork-and-perseverance\/","title":{"rendered":"Flooded! Disruption to Hardin Valley Campus Met With Teamwork and Perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Draven Copeland, Managing Editor<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

On the morning of April 9, 2026, a waterline pipe burst on the second floor of the Lamar Alexander Arts & Sciences building on the Hardin Valley campus, causing flooding in many rooms of the building. Classes were immediately halted, and the building was evacuated for the safety of students and faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At 10:29 a.m., an email was sent out by Campus Police to faculty and staff only, warning that the building was being evacuated, asking \u201call occupants\u2026 to exit the building immediately and remain clear of the area until further notice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the email, Campus Police stated that \u201cCampus officials are actively assessing the situation and working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"WaterDrip\"
Water seen dripping onto the sidewalk outside the Southwest doors to the Alexander building. | Draven Copeland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 The college sent a short text message and email to all students and faculty through the Pellissippi State Alerts system just nine minutes later at 10:38 a.m., stating, \u201cA water line breakage has forced the evacuation. Avoid the building until further notice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was followed up by Pellissippi State Community College\u2019s Marketing team, who sent an email to all students, faculty, and staff 35 minutes later at 11:13 a.m., further detailing the situation. While most of the email was simply further confirmation of the fact classes were being \u201crelocated or moved online\u201d for the rest of the day, a bolded section stated, \u201cAt this time, the building remains closed while facilities teams assess conditions and complete necessary repairs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this message, students could be seen sitting on benches nearby the building periodically throughout the day, and multiple entryway doors to the building remained unlocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While that was all the official messaging from Pellissippi State on the day of the incident, Marketing sent out another email on April 10, stating that the building was closed \u201cthrough Monday evening due to facility issues,\u201d with the exception of the Clayton Performing Arts Center (CPAC) and the lobby for entrance to theatre performances running over the weekend. The message ended by asking \u201call guests, students, and employees use only designated access points and avoid restricted areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days later, in the afternoon of April 13, Marketing delivered another email to students, stating, \u201cBased on the latest assessment from facilities and restoration teams, the building will reopen for normal operations tomorrow morning, with one exception\u2026 The piano lab (Room 123) will remain temporarily closed as restoration equipment continues to operate in that space.\u201d The email continued to explain that all classes in the building will continue as normal with the exception of the piano lab, ensuring that \u201cconditions will continue to be monitored, and additional updates will be provided if necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"WaterDrip2\"
The source of the water drip outside of the Southwest doors of Alexander building. | Draven Copeland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the entirety of the Spring 2026 semester, Johnson & Gaylon Construction, a company with construction credits ranging from work on UT Medical Center\u2019s Heart Hospital to Fellowship Church of Knoxville, has been working to renovate many rooms in the building on both the first and second floors. When asked whether the company had anything to do with the flooding, Campus Police stated that they \u201cdidn\u2019t have any information on that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origin of the flooding was unclear in the widespread college communications \u2013 the Alerts message cited \u201cwater line breakage,\u201d while both the Campus Police\u2019s and Marketing\u2019s first emails cited only a \u201cwater leak.\u201d All other messages only cited \u201cfacility issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JohnsonGaylon1\"
The fencing that has kept students out of the construction on the North side of the building all semester. | Draven Copeland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In an email interview with Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Rachel McClelland, she stated, \u201cThe water intrusion originated on the second floor of the building.\u201d She continued on to add, \u201cThe flooding appears to be related to ongoing construction activity in the building that impacted a sprinkler line. We are continuing to review the incident to fully understand the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked why doors to the building remained unlocked even after notices of evacuation, Campus Police stated that it was \u201ca matter of operational security and [they couldn\u2019t] speak on it.\u201d According to an article published by Salt Communications, a company specializing in cybersecurity, \u201cOperational security (OPSEC) in policing is a comprehensive strategy vital for safeguarding critical information and activities from unauthorised access or exploitation by adversaries.\u201d In this instance, Campus Police are likely not authorized to reveal information until it has been cleared by their management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been no reports of waterline breakage or significant water damage in the building since the college\u2019s opening in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JohnsonGaylon2\"
Johnson & Gaylon’s construction trailer outside of the Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science. | Draven Copeland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Student Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Music major James Kitchin was in the Lamar Alexander building for class when the flooding started and, in an exclusive interview conducted by Imaginary Gardens Editor-in-Chief, Emma Harrison, described the experience from a student perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the flooding began, Kitchin said, \u201cIt took them a second to actually evacuate the building\u2026 at least 15 minutes or so, everyone got to watch it for a while\u2026 [so, a] lot of us were able to get vids and pics.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stills from Kitchin\u2019s video are featured in this story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LeakFootage2\"
Another still from Kitchin’s footage of the leak in the hallway of the Lamar Alexander building. | James Kitchin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"LeakFootage1\"
A still from Kitchin’s footage of the leak in the hallway of the Lamar Alexander building. | James Kitchin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Harrison asked about the impact on classroom equipment, Kitchin added, \u201cThe leak hit the piano lab\u2026 the choir room and the hallway\u2026 so about six keyboards and [multiple] Mac desktops [were affected.]\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noting his personal feelings about the cause of the leak and ongoing renovations, Kitchin explained, \u201cHonestly, as a music major, it would have been nice if they started the renovations during the summer instead of during the school year. That\u2019s what caused the leak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Damage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although rumors began to circulate on campus immediately after the incident, the extent of the damage caused by the flooding does not yet have an official estimate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McClelland states, \u201cSome instructional areas, including rooms with specialized equipment, did experience water exposure. A full assessment of impacted spaces and materials is currently underway.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked for an estimate on the cost to the college in damages, she replied, \u201cIt is too early to provide a reliable estimate of damages. Our priority is documenting losses and determining what can be restored versus replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ServPro\"
The ServPro cleaning truck outside of the East dock entrance of the Lamar Alexander building. | Draven Copeland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the day of the flooding, a ServPro truck was parked by the East side dock entrance, and water damage equipment was set beside the vehicle. While the company\u2019s website does not list a specific dollar amount for pricing, as they operate on a case-by-case basis, an article<\/a> published on Reset Restoration Services\u2019 website states that the prices generally range from $4-$12 per square foot, depending on damage severity. Square footage for the Lamar Alexander building is not public record, but a safe estimate for pricing would be upwards of $2,000 for repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the piano lab in Room 123 has remained closed even after the building\u2019s reopening on Tuesday, April 14, the cost of equipment damage and replacement must also be taken into account. Keyboards, pianos, and other musical instruments\/electrical tools in that room were unshielded from the flooding, and may have been significantly damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of this unfortunate incident were the students and faculty affected primarily in music classes, as many theatre classes had been previously moved to other buildings due to the ongoing renovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Department Head Dr. Shaquille Marsh praised these students and faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI was impressed with how agile [they] were when they had to shift their classes away from Alexander to other locations (Goins, McWherter, online),\u201d he said. \u201cI am thankful for the music faculty and students for their ability to overcome a disruption to their environment. Pellissippi [State] music students and faculty met the moment and persevered. They are incredible. I am proud of all of them. They are to be celebrated!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All Department Heads with impacted instructors faced the task of rescheduling and relocating Monday\u2019s classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe deans, assistant deans, and department heads worked together to relocate the Thursday afternoon and Monday classes that were affected by the water leak,\u201d said English Department Head Lora Bagwell in an email interview. \u201cThe task was a total team effort.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As classes continue despite this setback to the college, it is important to recognize the efforts of the entire college community to keep things running even through moments of uncertainty like this one. Although damage has been done to the building and its equipment, the only thing we have to do is rebuild and persevere, something that Pellissippi State faculty and students have already shown is not only possible but achievable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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