Blair Tower clock suffered fall, no one hurt

But a piece of that clock crashed to the ground last month as students were returning to campus.

No one was injured in the incident, and Department of Facilities workers were able to respond quickly, Director of Grounds and Building Maintenance Don Lowe said in an e-mail, adding that the fall was caused by the corrosion of the metal dial rings that hold the Roman numerals of the clock to the sides of the arch.

The fall occurred around Sept. 9, he said.

After finding the metal dial ring on the ground, facilities staff proceeded to remove the rest of the dial rings and sent them to a metal fabricator for closer inspection.

“The preliminary assessment by our metal fabricator indicates they can be refurbished, and at this point we are continuing to review our options,” Lowe said.

The facilities department is now looking into using alternative materials for the restoration that would be less susceptible to corrosion.

The department has also established a “reminder maintenance work order” that will routinely prompt maintenance employees to inspect the status of the clock dials, Lowe said.

The frequency of these checkups will be determined once a decision is made on the type of material to be used for the new pieces.

With new safety questions raised, the facilities department is also currently investigating the statuses of similar structures on campus, such as the clock on Nassau Hall. However, since each structure has a unique construction, different inspections are necessary.

Blair Hall residents said they were unaffected by the incident.

Ashley Vandolah ’14 said that she does not feel “any differently” about her safety.

“These things happen, and as long as they are fixed, I’m fine,” Katrina Bushko ’14 added.