A water main break at the University Place shopping center on Friday night has caused “irreparable” damage to the Kidzu Children’s Museum, according to a release from the museum.
“Our incredible team rushed in before dawn Saturday morning to start the clean-up process and we are salvaging everything we can,” an email to supporters read on Monday. “We are grateful to the fire department and others who helped throughout the night.”
Kidzu CEO Jamie DeMent Holcomb told Chapelboro she was unclear of all the details of the incident, but said the leak occurred near Kidzu’s space in a “utility area” within the mall. Ram Realty, the company that owns the Chapel Hill mall, confirmed there is no indication the leak was related to ongoing construction in the area and the cause of the break is being determined.
According to Ram Realty, the break occurred in a fresh water line in a riser room between Planet Fitness and Alfredo’s Pizza Villa and, once discovered, water was turned off. Remediation crews worked overnight to remove water from common areas and tenant spaces within the mall. Kidzu appeared to suffer the most damage — although Ram Realty said Alfredo’s and Silverspot Theatre also had some standing water. The pizza restaurant was closed for part of Saturday while crews diverted a different water line to serve Alfredo’s while the main was repaired.
Holcomb said at least one foot of wall will have to be removed in the clean-up effort to deter the spread of mold. Because of the damage, Kidzu’s University Place location will be closed for the “foreseeable future,” according to the museum’s statement.
However, the statement said plans are in place for its programming to continue “almost immediately.” Holcomb told Chapelboro the programming will be hosted at Binkley Baptist Church, located behind University Place on Willow Drive, and described the partnership as “serendipitous” in its speed.
Jamie DeMente Holcombe, the Chief Executive Officer of Kidzu, stands in front of the temporary location of some of the museum’s programming at Binkley Baptist Church.
“I don’t think there will be much pause,” Holcomb said. “Maybe a week or two.”
Kidzu continued to put on events during the initial clean-up of the damage, including a celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day for immigrant and refugee families and a Supported Playgroups session with the Orange County Partnership for Young Children.
“In our greatest time of crisis, we were proud to still be able to provide learning opportunities, support, and celebration space for our community,” the emailed statement to Kidzu patrons read.
Holcomb added that she believes the damage done to the University Place location will not slow down the museum’s efforts to construction an expansion off Mt. Carmel Church Road, which it has been planning for several years.
Despite feeling “positive” about its programming pivot, Holcomb concluded that she hopes the Chapel Hill community will step up to help the museum get through the upcoming rebuild and challenging time. While the damage should be helped by insurance, the CEO said there’s still many questions surrounding what comes next.
“We know that we’re a phenomenal resource for families and children in this area,” said Holcomb, “and we want to keep being that. We are going to keep being that, but we’re going to need some help in the meantime, because insurance money doesn’t come fast.”
To support Kidzu during the clean-up, donations to the museum can be made here.
Editor’s Note: A quote from Holcomb claiming the water as “dirty” and “not cleanly treated” has been removed. Ram Realty confirmed to Chapelboro the broken main was not wastewater, and a statement from the ownership group has been added to the piece.
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