MILWAUKEE -- A water main break last week flooded the women's locker room at the Milwaukee Athletic Club (MAC) downtown. That break happened just a few feet from a high-profile construction project.
Adam Puzach, Chief Financial Officer of the Milwaukee Athletic Club
"We're working to clean it up, rebuild, and hopefully it's a better facility than it was to start with," said Adam Puzach, Chief Financial Officer of the Milwaukee Athletic Club. The cleanup is underway in the locker room. It got flooded August 8 when a water main broke on Mason Street. Puzach said it's a hurdle they really didn't need since streetcar construction nearby has already hurt business. "It's created an issue for us. It's decreased hotel room bookings. It's difficult to get people to stay in a construction area," Puzach said.
With the streetcar work going on just a few feet away, could that construction be responsible for the main break? The city says 'no.'
In a statement, a Department of Public Works spokeswoman said the break was in an "area outside the streetcar project limits and is not part of the streetcar construction zone." The statement adds, "our crew was able to repair the water main by early the following morning. The main was repaired overnight so that no events or activities at the club would be affected." Puzach said there was an effect -- a hotel without water for that night. "It was a challenge. You have to notify people right away and find accommodations at that time," Puzach said.
While it has been a frustrating time, Puzach said the club is not blaming the city. "We're not here to speculate who's really at fault here. At the end of the day, there was a water main break and we'll tend to that as we need to," Puzach said. Here's the complete statement from the Milwaukee DPW on the water main break: