ST. GEORGE — Dixie State College officials said Friday a $7 million fine arts collection, which was damaged by a broken climate control system, can be restored.

"The expectations are very high that the collection will come back in good condition," said Dixie spokesman Chris Taylor of the 750 pieces of art transported to the Chicago Conservation Center for restoration. "Some may be returned in even better condition."

The damaged artwork was stored in a special collections room in the Eccles Fine Arts Center when a climate-control system malfunctioned, Taylor said.

"Our best guess is that the problem began about 10 to 14 days before it was noticed," he said. "All of the college's artwork that isn't being displayed elsewhere is stored there. The humidity-control system malfunctioned and created a condition where there was water damage. Water was even dripping from the ceiling."

There was no alarm system installed in the collections room that would alert officials to the water problems, a fact that still has Taylor and others scratching their heads.

"The Eccles building was built in 2004. The humidity-control system was meant to maintain a constant temperature and humidity level to maintain and prolong the life of the art," he said.

The water damage was only discovered after a fire alarm was disturbed and sent out a trouble signal to college maintenance crews.

"The initial reaction for everyone was heartbreak. Once we had time to assess the situation. the mood changed to one of optimism," he said.

College officials immediately notified the Chicago Conservation Center, a renowned private art restoration and conservation authority, for consultation on the damaged art. Taylor said the firm had earlier assisted Brigham Young University with a similar problem.

"They came out almost immediately and all the pieces were packed and transported to their facility, where they were placed in a triage room, inspected and prepared for restoration," said Taylor. "Each piece was placed in a climate-controlled vault to bring the humidity levels down, which is very important."

Mark Petersen, executive director of cultural arts for the college, said he was "horrified" when he first heard of the water damage.

"You can't be involved with art and not become attached to it," he said. "We have some very important pieces and you kind of get a personal feeling for them. Preserving that art and caring for it, knowing of the trust that people place in your ability to do that, is very important to us."

Some of the visual damage included warped frames and some water damage to various paintings.

"We were all surprised that there wasn't more damage," said Petersen, who called donor families to inform them of the situation. "We assured them that any damage can be repaired. They were very relieved and grateful."