Winter Break began at noon Thursday, and we were operating at full throttle up to the last second. Wednesday night, at approximately 8:45, Rink Manager Todd Goings finished making ice and smelled ammonia at the same time that an ammonia-detection alarm sounded. Todd responded "by the book" and evacuated the facility of two hockey teams while calling the fire department. Assessing the situation correctly, Andover Fire Department ordered the evacuation of seven dorms and called for a Hazardous Materials response team. Students and dorm parents executed a fast retreat to the Meeting House (and a few other dormitories) and email informed everyone that we were in a lock-down mode: nobody outside for any reason. The incident was over within a few hours, and evacuees were back in their dorms at 11:45. What is clear, is that a lot of people responded professionally and appropriately.
Friday morning, it was back to business.
Although--with only hours to go before the start of vacation--a festive atmosphere was evident.
The Dance team performed for the elderly residents of New London's Clough Extended Care facility.
Afterwards, dancers introduced themselves to their admirers, and extended holiday greetings.
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