January Flooding Shuts Down Non-Profit
Leaky Roof Forces Wheels For Winners To Close Down
Updated: 8:53 am CST January 9, 2008
MADISON, Wis. -- The combination of rain and melting snow is wrecking havoc on homes and businesses across south-central Wisconsin.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe water has forced one non-profit organization to shut its doors temporarily, WISC-TV reported.At Wheels For Winners on Madison's East Side, water has been dripping through the roof for two weeks."Basically, we've got the roof leaking. It's leaking in the office, it's leaking in our work area, it's leaking in our storage areas. So our files, our documents, our supplies, everything is in danger of being damaged if it's not already damaged," said board member Jessica Gammey.Wheels For Winners is located in the back of a cinderblock building that mainly houses an auto garage. The building is old, and rent is affordable, especially for a non-profit that is run entirely by volunteers, officials said."We've been looking for a new space for some time now," said board president Kim Slava. "This incident has pushed that need to urgent."Wheels For Winners has served Dane County since 1992. The organization refurbishes bicycles for needy children, WISC-TV reported.Winter is the organization's busiest time preparing the bikes, officials said."If we're not preparing bikes or getting them ready for kids right now, there's going to be a high demand in summer that we're not going to be able to meet," said Gammey.Restoration companies like White Knight have been overrun with calls. Owner Bob Di Loreto said this time of year typically brings calls from frozen pipes bursting, or water heaters that explode.Now, he said, he's getting calls from ice dams melting and rain."These are spring calls, April, May, March sometimes, when the majority of the snow is melting," said Di Loreto.Di Loreto said homeowners need to check their basements every day for water leaking in."We've had quite a few these last week that the total basements have been flooded," said Di Loreto.Di Loreto said the most important thing for flood victims is to have the water removed by a certified restoration specialist."Someone who is capable of drying out your carpet as well as your structure," said Di Loreto.Di Loreto said not having the area cleaned properly can lead to bigger problems, like mold.Mold and mildew are problems Wheels For Winners isn't financially equipped to handle, officials said."A lot of the facility itself has been damaged with leaking, we would have to have an environmental cleanup done if we were even able to continue in this location," said Gammey. "So we are looking for a new location.""We don't want to see this lead to a permanent closing, but unless an affordable long-term location can be found, we may not have a choice," said Slava.Wheels For Winners is looking for a new location with an affordable rent for a nonprofit organization. They are asking anyone with information on such a space can contact the organization at wheelsforwinners@gmail.com.Related Info:
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe water has forced one non-profit organization to shut its doors temporarily, WISC-TV reported.At Wheels For Winners on Madison's East Side, water has been dripping through the roof for two weeks."Basically, we've got the roof leaking. It's leaking in the office, it's leaking in our work area, it's leaking in our storage areas. So our files, our documents, our supplies, everything is in danger of being damaged if it's not already damaged," said board member Jessica Gammey.Wheels For Winners is located in the back of a cinderblock building that mainly houses an auto garage. The building is old, and rent is affordable, especially for a non-profit that is run entirely by volunteers, officials said."We've been looking for a new space for some time now," said board president Kim Slava. "This incident has pushed that need to urgent."Wheels For Winners has served Dane County since 1992. The organization refurbishes bicycles for needy children, WISC-TV reported.Winter is the organization's busiest time preparing the bikes, officials said."If we're not preparing bikes or getting them ready for kids right now, there's going to be a high demand in summer that we're not going to be able to meet," said Gammey.Restoration companies like White Knight have been overrun with calls. Owner Bob Di Loreto said this time of year typically brings calls from frozen pipes bursting, or water heaters that explode.Now, he said, he's getting calls from ice dams melting and rain."These are spring calls, April, May, March sometimes, when the majority of the snow is melting," said Di Loreto.Di Loreto said homeowners need to check their basements every day for water leaking in."We've had quite a few these last week that the total basements have been flooded," said Di Loreto.Di Loreto said the most important thing for flood victims is to have the water removed by a certified restoration specialist."Someone who is capable of drying out your carpet as well as your structure," said Di Loreto.Di Loreto said not having the area cleaned properly can lead to bigger problems, like mold.Mold and mildew are problems Wheels For Winners isn't financially equipped to handle, officials said."A lot of the facility itself has been damaged with leaking, we would have to have an environmental cleanup done if we were even able to continue in this location," said Gammey. "So we are looking for a new location.""We don't want to see this lead to a permanent closing, but unless an affordable long-term location can be found, we may not have a choice," said Slava.Wheels For Winners is looking for a new location with an affordable rent for a nonprofit organization. They are asking anyone with information on such a space can contact the organization at wheelsforwinners@gmail.com.Related Info: - Association of Wisconsin Cleaning Contractors
- Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, Restoration and Certification
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