Due to the discovery of mercury in the subfloor of the gymnasium within the Student Center on Hocking College main campus, the gym has been closed indefinitely and Hocking College is working on a solution to remedy the situation.

The hazardous material was discovered during the course of attempting to repair water damage to the current wooden flooring.  The original structure of the gymnasium dates back to 1976, when mercury was commonly used in flooring.  The remainder of the Student Center was added on to the original gymnasium in 2002.

“Hocking College takes the safety of our student body and campus community very seriously.  As soon as we learned of the situation, we closed the facility and began working with all appropriate regulatory agencies and certified contractors to abate the area and clear the hazardous material,” Dr. Myriah Davis, Vice President of Administrative Services, said.

The college is currently obtaining quotes and timeframes on the remediation of the area, and the gymnasium will remain closed until it has been deemed to be safe.  All other areas within the Student Center will remain open during the repair work, as tests have shown them to be unaffected by the contamination.  However, the air quality will continue to be tested throughout the process to ensure ongoing safety for the users of the facility.