One group is urging elected officials to act before what they call “irreversible damage” to the buildings at Wells College.
The Wells Legacy Society has sent letters to Governor Kathy Hochul and US Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand asking for their assistance in preserving the properties during the winter. The society claims the college’s leadership plans to shut off the water and heat to the buildings in early October.
The group fears that without heat, pipes could crack in the winter leading to water damage to the buildings and the artifacts they contain as well as potentially lead to mold developing. In the letter, they go on to say that they’ve been informed by maintenance professionals that the large buildings cannot be adequately winterized due to their antiquated steam heat system.
Over a dozen buildings on the campus are listed as part of a district on the National Register of Historic Places, including the 1890 four-story main building.
The society is seeking the intervention of the governor and the senators as they claim the decision to shut off the heat shows “blatant abandonment” by the college’s trustees of their duty to protect the buildings and their contents.
You can view the full letter here.
