With repairs finally completed, all Suffolk University students that were affected by dormitory floodings last month have been cleared to return to their rooms according to University Spokesperson Greg Gatlin on Tuesday.
Suffolk University Assistant Vice President of Campus Services Jim Wallace has not returned communications from Suffolk Journal reporters in regards to the residence hall floodings.
While students have returned, Boston Common Coffee Company, located just below the residence halls, is still suffering from the flood.
A sign in the window of Boston Common Coffee on March 23 said the coffee shop would be closed “today and maybe tomorrow.” In an interview on March 28 with The Journal, Tony Massari, Co-owner of Boston Common Coffee said business would be returning within a “week or two.” Now, over three weeks later, a new sign posted in the window of the coffee shop explains that they will be out of business for an additional amount of time.
“After a few weeks of demo, drying and working with our insurance co. we are FINALLY ready to put the cafe back together again,” the sign said. “We are estimating a couple of weeks to patch all the walls, paint and replace some damaged fixtures.”
Calling this a “tough time,” Boston Common Coffee also commented in their most recent sign on the frustrations they had with the vandalization of post-it notes left on their front door by fans of the shop. The notes had been encouraging in nature, but those that had been vandalized had to be removed.
During this period of disaster for a local business still feeling the effects of water damage, once displaced students are more than excited to be back in their own rooms again.
“I am so happy to be back with my roommates again, [and] everything is back to the way it was,” said 10 West resident Jillian Hanson.
A point of contact for concerned residents, Assistant Dean of Students Elizabeth Ching-Bush has not responded over the last few weeks to queries from The Journal.
Following a roughly three-week period of detachment, all four of the residents of room 313 have returned to their rooms. Now all of the 46 students that had been divorced from their rooms will be able to complete the remainder of the semester, with the added comfort of their own beds.
As relieved students return to a familiar atmosphere, in the interim of construction, anxious fans of Boston Common Coffee will have to visit one of their other two locations in an attempt to return to a sense of normalcy.
