UCLA's Pauley Pavilion "will be ready when basketball season starts in November" despite being flooded Tuesday by a water-main break north of campus, according to Jack Wang of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. UCLA AD Dan Guerrero on Wednesday said, "After getting the water off yesterday and bringing the experts in, we've been assured today that we’ll be able to play in Pauley this year." Wang notes the arena "appears to have escaped structural damage." Though water leaked in from the north end of the building down into parts of the locker rooms and Pavilion Club, the "most significant concern is the hardwood floor." Nearly all of the hardwood "appeared to be warped to some degree, having been covered by several inches of water Tuesday night." It was "mostly dry to the touch" by early yesterday afternoon, but "how much damage lay beneath the court surface was still unclear." Costs of repairing the damage are "still being assessed." Guerrero said that if the floor "needs to be replaced, the campus will have time to do it by basketball season." He "did not elaborate on any potential contingency plans for playing elsewhere should the repairs be slower than expected" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 7/31). USA TODAY's Josh Peter reports while the arena floor at Pauley Pavilion "may be salvageable, the damage took 10 years off its life." UCLA Campus Building Official Carl Newth said that the court "was expected to last 50 years" after it was installed in '12 as part of a $136M renovation of the arena (USA TODAY, 7/31).
OPEN THE CHECKBOOK? Asked if the city of L.A. would be footing the bill for repairs, Guerrero said, "I couldn’t answer that. I don’t know. I would certainly like athletics to not have to foot any of the bill, and I don’t believe we will." He added that insurance "could cover the costs." In L.A., Chris Foster notes the UCLA men's basketball team hosts Azusa Pacific in an exhibition game Oct. 31, and the women’s team plays Westmont at home Nov. 2. The home opener for women’s volleyball is Sept. 23, but the team "was already scheduled to play most of its matches in the Wooden Center this season." That court was also damaged, but Guerrero said that it "was minimal." Drake Stadium, home of the track and field teams, also "was submerged by rushing waters." But students "were already running on the track" by yesterday afternoon (L.A. TIMES, 7/31).
