The local Tea Party's prayers were answered yet again. Not long after a local porn shop went up in flames, Lincoln Public Schools District Offices followed suit. Area libraries and public health centers better check their insurance policies.
In all seriousness, the loss of LPSDO is a Very Bad Thing™. No backup plan can account for the loss of an entire administrative facility. And even if there were some sort of magical plan to mitigate a disaster of these proportions, no plan ever proceeds flawlessly. Poor Superintendent Joel is going to earn every penny of his paycheck in 2011. And 2012. And then some.
While browsing news of the fire one question leapt out at me: why did the building that houses LPS's most valuable non-human assets -- data -- not have a fire suppression system? That's not an accusation, mind you, nor is it rhetorical. It seems like a pretty big oversight, but it's such a substantial oversight I can't help but think it was deliberate.
It's going to take a long, long time for this loss to fully sink in. There will be good news ("the computer backups worked!") and bad news ("...but the last update was three years ago"). My one suggestion for LPS is to be very upfront and honest about everything. They could, for example, start a blog and give a small team of people free reign to publish updates on ... well ... everything. I know I for one would appreciate that.
And by the way, I'm going to stop commenting on the status of buildings. Yesterday afternoon as I drove down O Street I commented to The Missus that LPSDO was a pretty bleh building. Fewer than twelve hours later ... poof. But my record isn't all bad. Several weeks back I commented on the former Homer's building right next door to LPSDO, and the next day it was announced that the building would receive a full remodel.
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So many thoughts…
So if arson is suspected, the first two suspects are Mr. Wilson and Bob Bennie.
I like how the comment was made that all the computer stuff is backed up offsite. However, I don’t find comfort in the fact that lps.org has been down since last night.
I hope they used Carbonite for their backups.
Can’t explain the lack of sprinklers, other than that the building was built in 1957. However, wasn’t it a State Farm building before it became the LPS building? You’d think an insurance company would have put in such a system.
Maybe the WRK fellas can come up with a grand plan for a new building. Then it will a) never see the light of day; or b) be built around 2018.
According to the brainiacs who comment at the LJS, we’ll need a huge bond issue now. Of course. Those folks at LPS never would have thought to carry insurance on the building or its contents.
If I had commercial space to lease, I’d be a happy camper today.
Oh, and Mr. Wilson - please don’t drive by my place and tell your wife that it’s a pretty bleh house, or a pretty bleh neighborhood. Thanks.
Here’s to hoping O Street isn’t closed for 6 months because of this.
Fletch, forget about commercial space—I’d love to be a sprinkler salesman right now. No doubt this is going to be a catalyst for a city-wide drive to have at least eight sprinkler heads in every room of City of Lincoln property.
Your wisecrack about O Street would have been more effective this morning. O Street has been open for several hours already.
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