Towamencin: Burst pipes caused damage to township building - Montgomery Newspapers

TOWAMENCIN — Extreme winter weather has caused burst pipes at Towamencin's municipal building.

Late on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 22, fire sprinkler and potable water pipes burst in three sections of the municipal complex, near the public meeting hall, Township Manager Rob Ford said on Jan. 23.

"It was a good thing that it happened while we were still here. If it had happened during the night, it would've been a lot worse," Ford said.

The burst pipes are believed to have been caused by extreme cold temperatures since late Sunday, Jan. 20, Ford said. Staff were inside the public meeting room portion of the administration building preparing for a meeting when they first noticed a problem in a classroom just across the hall.

"There was a significant dripping, and within probably ten minutes, it got a lot worse. What we eventually discovered was that it was the fire sprinkler pipe that broke first," Ford said.

Township staff and members of the Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company immediately responded, and were able to secure the water before plumbers and an emergency restoration crew were able to arrive on scene, according to Ford.

"The Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company were saviors: for one thing, they got the alarm that was blaring throughout the building here turned off, and they talked to the sprinkler company, and they got the water to stop," Ford said.

"Then another pipe broke, and we had to reach out to them again, so at the fire company's recommendation we got hold of a restoration company. they came out with a lot of fans in here, swept up the water, it could've been a lot worse," he said.

Insurance adjusters began inspections on Wednesday, Jan. 23, so repairs could be expedited, and a board of supervisors meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 was held as scheduled, with fans spaced throughout the meeting room. Caution tape prevented the public from walking down the wet hallway floor toward the classroom where the pipe had burst, and a closet was open so residents could have access to restrooms, which were undamaged but located past the flooded classrooms.

Water damage to the meeting hall was minimal, limited only to some water along the edges of the carpet, Ford said, but the classroom will likely be off-limits until the pipes and water-damaged panels can be fixed.

"I wouldn't want anybody in there, using that room, until we get somebody to fix it, because I'm concerned about some of the electrical lights in there," Ford said.

Repairs to the township building and the utilities within have been discussed at length since 2014, as staff have noted aging heating and air conditioning equipment, and included in the township's 2018 budget a new geothermal  heating and cooling system. In November and December 2018 meetings in the main public meeting room were held with a space heater running, due to repairs to the building's HVAC equipment, and the supervisors have said the system generated nearly 50 service calls and over $90,000 in repair and maintenance costs over the past two years. 

Ford said Jan. 23 that he has no cost estimate yet for repairs, and that the age of the building and pipes likely did not have as much to do with the bursting as the cold weather, and staff will look at whether adding insulation could help prevent a recurrence.

In a statement, Ford thanked "the rapid response and professionalism" of the fire company and its crews, "who immediately took charge of the situation and prevented what could have been much more extensive damage," and repeated those thanks after the supervisors meting.

"The good news is, the meeting hall works, the heat is on in the building, and no one got hurt," he said.

Towamencin's supervisors next meet at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, both at the township municipal building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.Towamencin.org.