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Flood Causes Millbury Town Hall To Close On Friday

Workers clean up the water and remove carpet from the conference room at Millbury Town Hall after a burst pipe during the night caused flooding. Photo Credit: Steve Balestrieri
The large desk in the conference room had to be moved and lifted to remove the carpet and the water. Photo Credit: Steve Balestrieri
A recently installed security camera is filled with moisture in the police station holding area. Photo Credit: Steve Balestrieri
Sgt. Donald Desorcy stands in a puddle of water in the station's questioning room. The room smelled of mildew and the carpet will have to be replaced. Photo Credit: Steve Balestrieri
The hallway of the holding area was covered in about an inch of water that leaked down the wall from the conference room. Photo Credit: Steve Balestrieri

MILLBURY, Mass. - A water pipe that apparently broke during the night flooded part of Millbury Town Hall, resulting in Town Hall being closed for the day on Friday.

The first of the building’s employees arrived at approximately 7:30 a.m., and it was assumed that the pipe had burst at least 2 to 3 hours prior.

The entire large conference room was flooded with about 2 inches of water, officials said, resulting in the carpet being ruined in not only the conference room but in part of the Town Clerk’s office.

Clean-up crews were immediately brought in to remove as much water as possible, but the carpets were ruined. Workers were removing carpeting as the work continued into Friday afternoon.

Water from the conference room also leaked down the wall into the police station’s holding-cell area, as well as the hallway and questioning rooms. The new security cameras just installed for the police department were damaged, and officials said one might have been destroyed by the water.

Since no one was currently being held in the cells or being questioned, the cameras had been turned off, and no one was aware of the water leak until it was too late. Light fixtures in the ceiling were also damaged, and the questioning room had a dank, musty smell.

Sgt. Donald Desorcy, duty sergeant for the morning shift, said that due to the lights and cameras being disabled, if anyone needed to be held in custody, they would be transported to Sutton until repairs are complete.

Desorcy said he was in contact with Chief of Police Ken Howell early in the morning to keep him abreast of the situation, since Howell’s first official day on the job isn’t until Monday, Jan. 28.

This is the third time the police department has had water damage in the past six weeks.

Comments (1)

Liberal:

Here's an idea, package up small pieces of the damaged carpet and sell them for profit like the Red Sox sell pieces of old Fenway Park. I'm sure people would pay to have an historic souvenir like “The exact spot where Joe Coggins once stood and pontificated about Dorothy Pond”

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