Officials scramble to keep government functioning
A burst pipe spilled more than an inch of water on the floors.
NORWAY – Town Manager David Holt was not happy about a 5 a.m. wakeup call Tuesday.
He was even less pleased when he learned that much of the town office was under more than an inch of water.
A pipe had burst over the weekend.
Damaged in the flood were the offices of the assessor, tax clerk, code enforcement manager, town manager, assistant town manager and the main administrative office.
Holt said the carpet and some of the walls in the offices will have to be replaced.
As of Tuesday afternoon, his sentiment was to set up work spaces somewhere in the town office building or possibly the fire station.
“It’s going to be inconvenient for some services,” Holt said. “Most likely we’ll have some limited services at the town office, but it could be the fire station. We’ll have signs up,” he said.
The town office telephone number, 743-6651, will remain in service.
Holt said it was important to get some services up and running by Wednesday.
“We have to be able to handle residents’ most critical issues such as general assistance, issuing building permits and car registrations,” Holt said.
The initial damage occurred in the town clerk’s office when the pipe carrying water to an outside drinking fountain burst, punching a hole about 12 inches in diameter in the wall.
Holt said the town’s cleaning service called him at 5 a.m. and also called Code Enforcement Officer Jeffery VanDecker, who is in charge of the building.
“Jeff was here first and did a nice job of shutting the water off,” Holt said. “I admit to sitting down back on the bed. If I had been a fireman, I would have my pants on immediately and been out the door. It took me a little longer.”
Crews had cleaned up the water before noon and set up drying fans. By the afternoon, crews were beginning to tear up carpeting.
Office clerk Bonnie Seames said that only essential equipment – computers, copying machine, her desk and the desk of clerk Debbie Wyman – were still in the main office.
“It looks like they are going to take most of carpet out of the main office in the morning,” Seames said. “Right now it looks like we will move in what we absolutely need when they get the rest of rug up. We can use the fire station for those things we don’t need.
“We’ll wait on whoever comes in,” she said. “It would be nice if it was a little bit quiet before noon.”
Seames and Town Clerk Shirley Boyce said there was no significant collateral damage.
Seames said none of the computers seemed damaged, but some paperwork such as car registration forms and boat stickers had been ruined.
She had phoned the state by noon to get replacement forms.
Boyce said binders protected the assessor’s books from serious damage. The assessor’s books contain documents noting real estate transactions.
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