This story appeared in the 2023 President’s Report issue of Onyx Anneau.
“Leak is my least favorite word,” said Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost. “Because it means another pipe has broken.” During the 2022 Christmas break, College leadership received a call from the public safety team that a pipe burst in the bathroom of 319 and had wreaked havoc in the south wing of Le Fer Hall.
Aimee Janssen-Robinson, Ph.D., associate vice president for student affairs, explained, “The water damage destroyed 219. The entire ceiling dropped in the student’s room, and water leaked out into the hall and across to another room, ruining new carpet, furniture and original hardwood floors. Both rooms were occupied. This is never a call any of us wishes to receive.” Recently recarpeted floors and painted walls, original built-in cabinets, new lighting fixtures, seating and books in the Sacred Heart Chapel were damaged in the leak. The Chapel was relocated to the academic wing in 2017, occupying the westernmost room facing The Avenue.
Water was also found in the south wing of Le Fer’s garden level, which had until recently housed the Sisters of Providence Archives. The archives were relocated to Rooney Hall in October 2022.
The spaces were sealed in plastic by a local restoration services company with large blowers working for weeks to dry four floors of damage. “As disappointing as this latest leak is, we are not shocked,” shared Jensen-Robinson. “The plumbing has outlived its life as the grand building approaches its 100th anniversary.”
Opened in 1924, Le Fer Hall’s plumbing problems have plagued SMWC for decades. Deferred maintenance and patches were the solutions until the building became a philanthropic funding priority. With more than $2.3 million in donor support since 2016, many renovations have been made in Le Fer Hall to meet the needs of today’s students. After the completion of four stacks this fall, thanks to generous gifts from Nancy Payonk ’81 and Tom Deputy, widower of Margaret “Peggy” Kelly Deputy ’64, the College successfully upgraded one-third of the bathrooms, leaving 54 (or 18 stacks) that still await funding.
Since the summer of 2020, the 81 student bathrooms have been the priority. The residential floors’ nearly identical layouts arrange the bathrooms in stacks of three. As such, they must be renovated together to replace the original cast iron plumbing and to include a proper ventilation system. North wing bathroom renovations, which have all been completed, were originally prioritized to protect the McMahon Ballroom. A leak during the Christmas break several years ago caused the original hardwood floor to warp, expediting its replacement in 2019.
“The slow progress is concerning, given the growing campus student population. Housing was almost at capacity in fall 2022, said Clark. Plumbing issues create housing problems. When a sewage pipe leaked in September, 12 students were displaced for more than six weeks while the College made repairs.
“We are projecting that we will be at capacity for housing next fall (2023) in both Le Fer and Les Bois Halls, which will leave us nowhere to move students when the next pipe breaks,” said Clark. In 2016, the Aspire Higher Campaign identified Le Fer Hall as the priority capital project following a feasibility study that included many alumni and friend donors.
To date, 360 donors have supported the much-needed renovations with nearly $2.3 million of philanthropic support. Each bathroom stack requires at least $75,000 in gifts to proceed with the renovation. New gifts and pledges will help the College address additional bathroom stacks during the summer of 2023.
According to the American Water Works Association, cast-iron pipes used for water and sewer in the 1920s have a lifespan of up to 100 years. These pipes, an excellent investment in their time, are a $1.85 million part of a $1 trillion aging pipe infrastructure problem in the United States. Next year, Lady Le Fer’s pipes will be 100 years old (officially, although she began construction in 1921). “She is a magnificent structure who wears her age well… except for a few of her arteries, which need our attention,” said Clark. “A portion of her may be at the end of her lifespan, but with a little love and some new PVC, she can be around for at least another 100 years.”
We have Miles to Go before we secure the future of Le Fer Hall.
– Join the hundreds of donors who have supported the student experience with their gifts to the I Love Le Fer initiative.
– Contact your classmates and friends to collectively sponsor a bathroom or a complete stack!
For more information contact advancement@smwc.edu
You can make you gift to support Le Fer Hall at giving.smwc.edu.
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