A blown fuse is the stated cause of the ongoing power outage throughout SRU’s campus and the surrounding Slippery Rock community.
Prior to on-campus disruptions, a power outage occurred in Slippery Rock borough early Wednesday morning causing disruption to nearly 200 residents and caused two traffic lights along Main Street to fail, according to First Energy’s outage map. Power throughout the borough has been mostly restored as of 1:30 p.m. today with the exception of grounds covering Slippery Rock University.
An SRU Communication email sent Wednesday at 10:38 p.m. notified the public of a blown fuse believed to be the source of a “localized power outage to the upper campus of Slippery Rock University.”
The buildings without power were North Hall, Art 1, Alumni House, Miller Auditorium, Old Main, McKay Education Building, Carruth Rizza Hall and the Maltby Center. The email predicted power to be restored sometime between 10:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday night.
Another email sent this morning at 1:45 a.m. indicated the attempts to fix the blown fuse were unsuccessful. The email further instructed residents in North Hall to “relocate for the evening” and “make arrangements for accommodations with friends and family as much as possible and to follow the direction of all Residence Life staff.”
A third email followed today at 8 a.m. stating the power outage persists as maintenance continues to work with electrical contractors. The email also stated powered segments of campus will continue business as normal.
North Hall residents are to be notified by 3:00 p.m. today for a contingency plan in the case of continued unsuccessful repairs. Those affected by the power outage throughout the Slippery Rock community should visit the Smith Student Center for further assistance, according to the email.
The next email followed at 9:47 a.m. stating electrical contractors continue to check building transformers and main electrical switchgear regarding the high and medium voltage feeder cabling and connections. The email explained there is a secondary team “enroute to expedite assessment and repairs.”
The latest email at 12:30 p.m. states electricians identified “two failed underground medium voltage connections near Old Main and Miller Auditorium that are responsible for the power outage to eight buildings on the upper campus of Slippery Rock University.”
The email also estimated power will be restored today pending the “successful replacement of equipment and comprehensive testing to ensure the safety and integrity of the electrical service.”
The Rocket will continue to provide updates as the events progress.
