Events center flooded

CLOVIS - Flooding from a broken water main Saturday at the Curry County Events Center forced the cancellation of an event there and caused an undetermined amount of damage.

"It filled up the arena floor like a bathtub," Events Center General Manager K. C. Messick said.

Messick said he came to work Saturday morning and water was running out the front door of the Events Center.

Messick said at first he thought maybe the leak was from a toilet or sink break.

"Not in a million years did I think it was a water main break," he said.

The broken main, a 14-inch pipe, is up on the events center's upper level with the restrooms.

Messick said the water was cascading through a section of seats and pooling on the arena floor.

Messick said the dirt arena floor had been roll packed and covered with plastic for an event scheduled for Saturday night.

Messick said that the floor was covered was a blessing because it contained the water better.

Messick estimates the water was about a foot deep across the entire arena floor.  He estimated the volume to be approximately 390,000 gallons.

Shortly after the break discovery Messick was joined by Event Center Operations Manager Josh Jeffs and the two men shut off water to the complex.

What was the cause of the break and the cost of damages?

Messick said he would know more about such things after meeting with plumbers and EPCOR personnel early in the week.

Messick had help in cleaning up the mess the water main break caused.

"You want to talk about a blessed man," he said, "That would be me with the help we received."

 Messick reports that Curry County roads superintendent Walon Jones was at the Events Center in short order.

Messick said Jones called on Glen Eagle "who knew the people to call."

Personnel from the city of Clovis came out to the center with a pump as did personnel with a pump from EPCOR and the County Line and Ranchvale fire departments with their trucks that have pumps.

Messick was disappointed that the water main break caused the cancellation of the Force of One MMA fighting championships

The event, organized by Eric Suan, "attracted teams from Albuquerque, El Paso, all over. We had over 800 tickets sold," Messick said.