McMurdo Station: Building 63, (R.I.P.?)
Jan 11th, 2009 by Nick
From Big Blue Globe:
Effective immediately, B-063 housing the Bowling Alley – Weight Gym -Ceramics Room – Boulder Room and Craft Room is closed to all personnel. Do not enter the building for any reason.
A cross member structural beam has suffered a failure that has resulted in the floor sagging approximately six inches. All of the floor joists butt up and end on this one beam, causing overloading at this point. This is an extremely unsafe condition that warrants closing the building for all use by the community. There is a real risk that the second floor in the building could collapse onto the first floor.
This will have a large impact on the community due to closing of a building that houses several recreational venues that are used extensively by the community. The weight room will no longer be open and all bowling will stop until the building can be inspected and repaired. Bowling leagues will no longer be allowed to use the bowling alley and the leagues will need to determine how they will end the current series without playing any further games. There is no estimated time frame for when the building might reopen. The closure is totally unavoidable and is for the safety of everyone on station.
