Submitted photo
Pictured is the LUMINA Center.

LEWISTOWN — Water damage from a burst pipe forced the LUMINA Center to begin an extensive restoration and long-term evaluation of its more than 100-year-old building, a process Executive Director Sherri Bickert said is focused on keeping children safe while maintaining critical programs.

The pipe burst on Jan. 22, sometime between early morning checks and mid-morning discovery. Bickert said the scope of the damage was not immediately clear.

“As soon as we walked downstairs and saw all the water, we realized there was a big problem,” Bickert said. “But we didn’t realize exactly how big it was until we found where the source was and how far the water had already run.”

She said she was in the basement around 7 a.m. and everything appeared normal. The burst pipe was discovered shortly before 10 a.m., meaning water had several hours to move through floors and walls before it was stopped.

Because the LUMINA Center serves young children in a building constructed more than a century ago, Bickert said calling in a professional restoration company was not optional.

“Make sure all the damage was mitigated the way it needed to be so there were no long-term residual problems,” she said.

The restoration process involves professional testing to determine what materials were compromised by water, including areas that are not visible. Once those materials have been identified, they are removed, often down to bare structural components.

“The restoration company comes in, and they test everything to decide what has been compromised, and then they remove all that,” Bickert said. “And then their part is done. So we then become responsible for rebuilding.”

While insurance is expected to cover the damage directly caused by the flooding, Bickert said reconstruction in a building of this age presents additional challenges.

“If they feel like it’s been compromised two feet up, they’ll cut out two feet of your wall or three feet of your wall, and the rest is left,” she said. “So there’s definitely going to be additional cost because it’s a 100-year-old building.”

She said once damaged materials are removed, the Center’s director must be intentional about rebuilding properly, including insulation, flooring, and code compliance.

“We’re not going to reconstruct it halfway,” Bickert said. “When they start pulling stuff out, they pull out half a carpet, we’re going to finish pulling out the rest of the carpet and have to replace all the carpet.”

Despite the disruption, Bickert said the Center is working to keep its programs running.

“We are doing everything within our power to continue all the programs per the typical schedule,” she said.

That requires temporary changes to space usage, but Bickert said safety comes first.

“We are endeavoring to ensure the children’s safety first,” she said.

Looking ahead, the flooding accelerated conversations already happening about the age of the building and the need for upgrades.

“It kind of escalated it significantly,” Bickert said.

As part of the next phase, the LUMINA Center plans to partner with the EADS Group to conduct a full evaluation of the building.

“We are going to be partnering with the EADS Group to have the entire building evaluated,” Bickert said. “That’s one of the pieces we’ve already established moving forward to try to mitigate further risk factors.”

Bickert said it’s important for the community to understand that restoration and rebuilding will be an ongoing process and financial support remains critical.

“Ensuring the safety of our children is top priority,” she said. “But at the same time, we also want to be very intentional that while we’re ensuring safety, we’re doing everything we can to maintain the current programs we have actively running.”

She said even if insurance covers damaged materials, additional costs are unavoidable when working with an older structure.

“The children need us, so we need to be able to do as much as we can, as quickly as we can, to get everything up and running,” Bickert said.

Community members who want to help can donate through Lumina’s PayPal account on its website or send checks directly to the Lumina Center.

While the physical work is still in its early stages, Bickert said the larger goal goes beyond repairs.

She said she wants the LUMINA Center to emerge from this moment more intentional and better prepared to serve children safely for years to come.