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Wednesday, November 10, 1999 Page: 3A
HAZLE TWP. – An early morning water main break Tuesday sent thousands of
gallons of water gushing into the Laurel Mall and closed two businesses,
including the tax office of Jack Mundie, who last week lost his bid for mayor.
The flooding also closed Olympia Sporting Goods and drenched Boscov’s
Department Store, doing thousands of dollars worth of damage to the three
businesses, said Laurel Mall manager Richard Golder.
“It’s been a bad month, but it could have been much worse,” said Mundie,
who fears damage to his business may exceed $10,000.
The 3/4-inch pipe burst sometime before 5:30 a.m., Golder said. Mundie’s
office was hardest hit and was blanketed by more than two inches of water.
It isn’t clear what caused the main to burst, but Golder suspects a gradual
deterioration over the past 26 years may have been aggravated by seasonal
temperature changes.
“It may have been cracked for a long time,” Golder said. “All of a
sudden the stress crack got to a point where it just let loose.”