More than a week after a fire sent clouds of smoke billowing above Dickinson Dining Hall, officials are still unsure what caused the fire and how long it will take to repair the damage it caused.
According to Binghamton University spokesperson Ryan Yarosh, county investigators have yet to uncover the cause of the fire which is believed to have begun, and mostly remained, in the laundry room of the kitchen area.
The fire, which started around 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, left smoke and some electrical damage. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 10:50 p.m.
According to Sodexho Marketing Director Bob Griffin, University officials are still uncertain when the building will be re-opened because damage to the building is still being assessed.
“I don’t know when they’re going to know for sure,” Griffin said. “It’s up to the state to tell us when we can open the building back up.”
After inspectors examine possible damage done to the air ducts, a clearer time line for re-opening can be established. Griffin estimates the dining hall will be closed for at least another three weeks.
“The main thing is that we want to be sure that when they open the building it’s safe,” he said.
Eight Sodexho employees working in Dickinson dining hall have been relocated to other campus locations, while 10 to 15 others aren’t currently working.
“Workers are paid hourly, so while they aren’t relocated they are not being paid, so it is like time off without pay,” Griffin said. “The hours of the available openings weren’t good for two people so they ended up taking time off instead.”
In order to accommodate the displaced students from Dickinson, Sodexho has increased the hours that the College-in-the-Woods and Newing dining halls are open. CIW dining hall now opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. on weekends, while Newing serves hot breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
The Susquehanna Room, which can serve up to 300 people, has also extended operating hours and has been offering meals at dining hall prices. But according to Griffin, not enough students have been eating there.
“There’s so much more capacity there,” he said. “We really want students to use the room while we have it.”
Numbers have been dwindling each day since last Tuesday when the service was first offered.
“We’re not seeing enough [eating there] to justify keeping it open,” Griffin said. “CIW’s getting a little over-crowded.”
In the meantime, Dickinson residents are looking for new places to eat.
“I usually came to CIW for lunch and dinner anyway, so its not much of a change in that way. But now I go down to Newing for breakfast, instead of Dickinson,” said Eric Levine, a sophomore creative writing major who lives in Rafuse Hall. “I’m definitely seeing more people I know from Dickinson here now, and I know Newing was packed when I went there last week.”
Freshman Kevin Hussey, a Newing resident, has noticed the change in his dining hall.
“It’s been a bit annoying. I mean, Newing was already crowded before this, and now it’s just even worse,” he said.
Check budining.com daily for updates on Dickinson dining hall.