This was posted at www.muscletime.com yesterday, Wednesday, Jan 8th:***********************
Change in Venue for 2008 Arnold Expo?A few hours ago, the Columbus Dispatch reported that a major 16-inch water main broke in the Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus, Ohio flooding the facility. The venue is known to the bodybuilding faithful as the home of the annual Arnold Fitness Weekend and Arnold Expo. Columbus Fire Divsion officials arriving at the scene reported that water was pouring out the doors of the Convention Center, that the concrete slab floors were buckling, and drywall was peeling off the walls. An employee at the Convention Center triggered concern that the Convention Center might collapse after noting that structural support beams had been moved out of the ground by the water pressure.
About an hour ago, structural engineers reported that the Columbus Convention Center was structurally sound and not at risk of collapse and would not need to be demolished. However, initial estimates suggests damages to the structure, walls, carpets, and fixtures in excess of several million dollars.
No word yet on how this will affect events scheduled at the Columbus Convention Center over the next several weeks, including the Arnold Fitness Weekend and Arnold Expo.
http://www.muscletime.com/news/latest/arnold-expo-stays-in-columbus-convention-center-after-flood/
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This is the story originally reported in the Columbus Dispatch:
*********************Convention center deemed structurally sound despite flooding
Water-main break closes building, N. High Street
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 6:08 PM The Greater Columbus Convention Center is structurally sound, city and building officials said, after engineers looked at damage caused by a broken 16-inch water main that flooded the building early this morning.
Fire officials had said they feared a collapse because support beams and floors appeared to have been compromised, but officials no longer believe that to be the case.
“It looks like the damage was nowhere near what it was feared to be,” said Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Experience Columbus.
The waterline, which runs down Swan Street and provides water to the west side of High Street, had been capped under the northern section of the convention center at 400 N. High St. The cap blew off for an unknown reason, and water shooting under the center pushed up the concrete slabs that make up the floor and flooded the center. When the water was turned off, the slabs subsided, leaving damaged drywall and doors that no longer line up with their jambs in the northern part of the center.
City crews dug up the sidewalk on the east side of N. High in front of the convention center to recap the line.
N. High Street was closed between Goodale Street and Nationwide Boulevard. By evening rush hour, Columbus police had opened both southbound lanes and one northbound lane of N. High.
Many nearby businesses, such as the North Market, were open, although the Spruce Street entrance to the market's parking lot was closed.
The Hampton Inn lost water, so portable restrooms were set up or guests were directed to use the ones at the North Market. By evening, the hotel had its water back.
When Fire Battalion Chief Doug Smith arrived at the convention center shortly after 5:15 a.m., he said water was running out the doors and he could see the buckled concrete slab floors.
A convention center worker said water also was flowing onto N. High Street from under the building's exterior walls. Workers said they heard a loud “pop” that they later attributed to the water pushing up the slabs that make up the floor.
The center was evacuated, but officials did not evacuate the adjacent Hyatt Regency hotel.
Smith estimated that the damage to walls, carpeting and other fixtures will run into millions of dollars.
City crews began digging up the sidewalk on the west side of the building, at N. High and Swan streets, just before 9 a.m. to repair the broken line.
The flooding was first reported to the Columbus Fire Division at 5:15 a.m., and city crews shut off the water by about 8 a.m., said Rick Tilton, spokesman for the Public Utilities Division. He did not know how how much water flooded the building.
The Longaberger basket company has an annual conference of some 1,200 people scheduled at the convention center today and through this week. Most of the meeting, including the general session Thursday and the company store, is being held at the convention center, although a few breakout sessions were moved, company spokesman Tom Matthews said.
Timothy Dant , general manager of the Hyatt Regency, said the hotel was not affected by the flooding.
At least 15 events, involving thousands of people, are scheduled at the center this month. A cheerleading and dance competition scheduled for this weekend was expected to attract 2,500 people. The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association's trade show, scheduled for Jan. 21-23, is expected to bring 12,000 attendees. The center expects to accommodate them.
The city recommend that businesses in the area boil tap water in case it became contaminated with bacteria during the break. The advisory area is on W. Swan between N. High and Park streets and Park Street between W. Swan and Goodale Street. About 10 businesses are affected, according to Tatyana Arsh, spokeswoman for Public Utilities.
The convention center opened at 400 N. High in 1993 to national attention, prompted by its distinctive design, courtesy of architects Peter Eisenman of New York and the late Richard Trott of Columbus. Their building lies on N. High Street as though it were dropped there in pieces, and left to rest where the pieces fell. Trott and Eisenman also designed the Wexner Center for the Arts.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/01/09/flood.html
