Due to continued water heater pipe repairs resulting in cold indoor temperatures, the Administration Building and Schauerman Library closed at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16.

The buildings will remain closed Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 according to an email from the Office of Marketing and Communications.

The email said the closure would affect in-person instruction and services provided at the two locations. Students who had classes inside the library and employees who worked at either location were encouraged to contact their advisor or supervisor for instructions on where to go.

Some employees went home to work. Other employees and some students were relocated to other areas on campus.

Both buildings will reopen on Monday, Nov. 20.

Library and Learning Resources Specialist Erika Yates said she first learned about the closure from her boss, Dean of Library and Learning Resources Crystle Martin, who informed her that morning the library would be closed Thursday and would not reopen until Monday, Nov. 20.

Yates said the library is always cold, but since the pipe broke, the space has been “way colder than normal,” saying she usually doesn’t need to wear a jacket while working the front desk.

“There’s no heat and the temperature has been steadily dropping,” Yates said. “My office is an icebox.”

With the library closed, Yates said students in need of an interior space use the lounge areas in the Student Services Building and the study area in the Math Business Allied Health Building.

Angel Tapia, 20, is a pre-engineering major and a student worker at the Warrior Esports Center in the Library East Basement.

Tapia said he doesn’t know where students at the center are going to go.

“I really don’t know what I’m going to do for the next five hours,” he said.

Director of Public Information and Government Relations Kerri Webb was sent home along with everyone else located in the Administration Building.

“[We were sent home] this morning, when the temperature was expected to dip down below 60 degrees,” Webb said. “So when that happened, that was [a California Occupational Safety and Health Act] concern, so we want to make sure that we abide by the Cal/OSHA mandates and be in compliance.”

While the California branch of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not have specific standards that cover working in cold environments, some guidelines hold employers responsible for providing employees with a workplace “free from recognized hazards, including cold stress.”

Webb said the order to close the two buildings due to the cold came from a college Vice President. Facilities workers are working on the issue as it is a top priority.

The Union first reported on this story when the leaking pipe caused multiple buildings to lose heat on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

Assistant Director of Facilities Robert Brobst said workers fixed the heating to five out of seven buildings affected Wednesday, but a pivotal equipment piece was needed to fix the heating for the Administration Building and the library.

The main issue is an underground vault located near Cafe Camino and the Humanities Building which houses a water heating pipe connecting point, or knuckle, that feeds heat into several nearby buildings.

These connecting knuckle pipes are made out of durable fiberglass while indoor pipes are made out of metal.

“Due to extreme heating, the metal pipes constantly expand and contract at the connecting point with the fiberglass pipes, leading those connections to get frayed which can cause leaks,” Brobst said.

The necessary piece was delivered to El Camino on Thursday at 11 a.m. and Brobst said facilities workers would have it installed by 6 p.m. It will take 36 hours to “cure” the system which includes slowly pressurizing the pipes.

Brobst recalled at least six occurrences where fraying in between fiberglass and metal piping required repairs.

“This stuff is old,” Brobst said.

Brobst said there is a working long-term plan to fix the recurring issue but also said the short-term plan is to fix it as it breaks as they are doing now.

“We feel terrible when systems impact student activities and we apologize for the inconvenience,” he said.

Union editors Nasai Rivas, Raphael Richardson and Eddy Cermeno contributed to this story.