Metal beams outline the skeleton of what was once the IMU basement.
Air-filled plastic tubing tunnels run along the ceiling to keep moisture out of the basement. Space that was once occupied by such popular stops as the University Bookstore and Union Station food court now sits vacant.
Some UI students might not see a working IMU basement before leaving with a diploma, UI officials said.
“There is no definite timeline yet,” said David Grady, the UI associate vice president for University Life Centers. But he is hopeful some younger students on campus will have the opportunity to see a fully functional IMU, he said.
The basement of the IMU has been empty since June 2008, when flooding caused an estimated $20 million in damage to the building. Officials have set no timeline for the reopening of the popular student gathering spot.
The UI applied for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which would cover up to 15 percent of all eligible costs for mitigation measures, said Crystal Payton, FEMA spokeswoman.
An additional 15 percent can be applied to the added costs to mitigate against future damages.
“We spent the summer coming up with a mitigation and flood recovery plan so that we [could] get the paperwork into FEMA,” Grady said.
The mitigation proposal for the IMU was received Sept. 10 by FEMA’s public assistance staff, Payton said. The proposal has not formally been submitted for approval, she said.
“Having [the IMU] offline has had an impact, and we want to do what we can to get that back online as soon as possible,” Grady said.
In order to be eligible for FEMA funding, the UI had to develop a plan to keep water out of the building in the future, Grady said. In addition, the UI developed a proposal for permanent recovery of the space.
Within the proposed plan, university officials outlined the construction of preventative elements both inside and outside the building. The possible relocation of mechanical spaces into other parts of the building is one idea, Grady said.
“The silver lining to this is that we have the opportunity to look at things differently,” Grady said.
For now, the UI is just waiting for approval of its hazard-mitigation proposal. In order to be approved, the plans must be reviewed by FEMA staff to ensure eligibility, technical feasibility, environmental and historic preservation compliance, and cost effectiveness, under Section 406 of the Stafford Act, which outlines the requirements to qualify for hazard-mitigation funding.
But for some students, the IMU basement is just a memory.
UI seniors Bo Holden and Tom Comstock made the Union Station food court in the IMU basement their stop. But since the basement flooded and closed, both admit they rarely use the IMU.
“It was only good for the food,” Holden said.