BANGOR, Maine — A sprinkler pipe burst at the Maine Discovery Museum early Friday morning, forcing the downtown facility to close for the day.
Niles Parker, executive director of the museum, said he was notified about the situation around 7:30 a.m. by an employee of a land surveying company who was walking to work.
“By the time I got here, there were several people already on the site,” Parker said. “We’re very grateful for the call.”
Parker said the sprinkler pipe burst just inside the museum’s front entrance on Main Street. Water was streaming down the front door and gushing under doors into the museum’s lobby.
“Fortunately, the great folks from ServiceMaster got here quickly,” Parker said. “We’re going to have to be closed today while we clean up the mess and try to dry it out as best we can and assess for damage.”
Parker said no exhibits were affected, but there were puddles of water throughout the first-floor lobby and the museum’s basement. ServiceMaster crews were working hard Friday to vacuum and dry out carpeting in the lobby.
Water also got into the soon-to-open Juice Cellar next to the museum, but Parker said the floors in that business are tile and crews were able to get water out of there quickly.
Parker added he’s not concerned about any more pipes in the museum bursting. He also is hopeful the business can reopen Saturday, as weekends typically see higher traffic.
For updates on the status of the museum, visit the Maine Discovery Museum’s Facebook page or their website, mainediscoverymuseum.org.
