Burst water pipe closes uptown tower

The following article originally appeared in the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007.

By RICK ROTHACKER

A major uptown office tower could be closed at least a week after a burst water pipe shorted electrical systems, displacing tenants such as Wachovia Corp., accounting firm Grant Thornton and a radio studio.

The incident left companies scrambling for temporary space, instructing employees to work from home and moving computer servers to alternate locations. Yellow police tape cordoned off the main entrance Tuesday, and signs at other doors instructed employees to call managers.

The pipe failed around 1 a.m. Monday in the high-rise portion of the 27-story, black glass building at 201 S. College Street, said Mike Delev, general manager with Houston-based Hines Interests, a real estate firm that bought the building in June.

The leak short-circuited the building's electrical distribution system, Delev said, leaving a large portion of the tower without power. Property managers and outside experts are working to get the building "up and running," he said, declining to give an estimated time for the reopening.

A recording Tuesday at a phone number for the building said the tower would be closed until Sept. 24. Tenants found out about the problem early Monday and are being updated with conference calls.

Under escort, some tenants have been given limited access to the building to retrieve needed items, Delev said. Generators are providing emergency power.

Bob Boyd, chief executive of Charlotte business continuity firm Agility Recovery Solutions, said it was unusual to have a whole building knocked out by such an incident but noted businesses face numerous threats to operations. He urged companies to have backup plans for technology, office space, communications and other necessary functions.

Businesses "think that the risk of a disruption comes from a hurricane or earthquake or something major," said Boyd, who doesn't have any clients in the building. "Eighty-five percent of them are due to common things."

At the 25-year-old Charlotte Plaza building, the burst pipe knocked out a number of radio shows that originate from a street-level studio. The closure silenced Danny Fontana's talk show on WDYT-AM (1220) and the rest of the radio station's lineup, as well as the "Bill Rosinski Show" that airs on sports station WFNZ-AM (610 and 1660).

"It's really frustrating," Rosinski said. "I was all jacked up for the show on Monday because of the way the Panthers' game went. It's been tough to sit around on my thumbs with so much going on."

In the meantime, WFNZ has been airing Sporting News Radio's "Tony Bruno Show" in place of Rosinski's. Working with the property manager, the studio got power back late Tuesday and, barring any problems, planned to have its shows back on the air today, said Casey Shannon, executive vice president of CRN Communications, which produces the Fontana and Rosinski shows.

"It stings financially," Shannon said. "You're not putting on (advertising) spots that pay money."

Other tenants include investment bank Edgeview Partners, law firms and the restaurant Bentley's on 27. Wachovia, which has about 1,300 employees on 13 floors, told employees to work at home or sent them to other bank locations around town.

The closure came at a bad time for accounting firm Grant Thornton: The deadline for filing corporate tax returns following an extension was Monday. Luckily, the firm had already filed most of its clients' returns and was able to submit the remaining ones electronically from locations in Greensboro and Columbia, said Mike McGuire, Carolinas managing partner.

While many of the firm's accountants operate from client locations, about 100 administrative staff members need a place to work, McGuire said. While it waits for the building to reopen, the office is routing phone calls to Dallas, moving computer servers to Greensboro and taking temporary space on Tyvola Road.

"It's like we had a hurricane, but it only hit one building," he said.

Be Prepared

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security labels September "National Preparedness Month," encouraging individuals and businesses to be ready for emergencies. For more information, see www.ready.gov. Agility Recovery Solutions has posted information at www.preparemybusiness.com.