After a broken valve caused flooding in the Wiscasset Town Office, Servpro was called to bring dehumidifiers and other equipment to dry out the floor, said Town Manager John O’Connell. (Nathan Strout / The Times Record)
WISCASSET — The Wiscasset Town Office was closed Wednesday as the town worked to remove water that had flooded the office from a broken valve.
“When our guy who does the cleaning came in at 4:30 he found some water on the floor,” said Town Manager John O’Connell. “A valve on one of the bathrooms wasn’t working, and water was pouring out. So I called in the public works people and Servpro and they removed all the easily removed water. Some carpets are wet, and Servpro is running blowers, dehumidifiers and all the rest.”
O’Connell, who has only been in the position for two months, said he didn’t believe this was a recurring problem.
While some staff remains in the building to answer calls, the town office was closed all day Wednesday.
“Depending on how the drying goes, we might be able to open in a limited fashion (Thursday),” said O’Connell.
That decision is partly informed by the fact that the town office is usually closed Friday and the weekend, and will also be closed Monday for Patriots’ Day. If the town office remains closed Thursday, then the public will not have access to it for nearly a week.
“It makes a long stretch, especially with Monday being a holiday,” said O’Connell.
Complicating matters further is the fact that the town office needs to be open to receive nomination papers for several positions that will be elected at the town’s June 11 annual town meeting, including two selectmen positions and two seats on the Wiscasset School Board. The deadline for those nomination papers is the end of the day on Thursday, said O’Connell.
O’Connell said he did not have an estimate on how much the damage would cost the town, although he had reached out to the town’s insurer.
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