By Julia Gardiner
The usual green landscaping surrounding the high rises has been accented by bright orange fencing and yellow caution tape in an effort to keep students safe.
On Sept. 13, the Dean of Students’ office received a report that a chunk of concretehad fallen off Alliance Hall. Public Safety notified the Plant Department and a decision was soon made to inspect each of the residence halls, and eventually the Axinn library, for structural integrity and the condition of the facade.
The combination of the age of the buildings, high winds and rain that passed through thecampus loosened the chunk of concrete located directly above the entrance of Alliance hall about one floor up, according to Joseph Barkwill, vice president of facilities and operations.
The area immediately around the towers was fenced off and scaffolding over the entranceway was promptly erected. According to Barkwill, this is purely a precautionary measure and there is no real danger to pedestrians.
Each of the towers will be inspected by an outside contractor for loose bits of concrete, which will then be chipped off. This process should take two to three weeks per building,depending on the weather. There will be a comprehensive engineer’s report done at thecompletion of the inspection and repairs will be made if deemed necessary.
Any repair to the outside of the buildings would be more cosmetic, according to Barkwill,as “the safety aspect is first priority.”
The Plant Department plans to implement a five-year inspection program, which is standard for most buildings in the city. In the recent past, only one of the towers was maintained in the manner that they are now because there was no report of deterioration.
“As the building gets older it requires more monitoring,” Barkwill explained. Signs were posted more than 10 days later in the residence halls informing students to steer clear of the cordoned sections. Warnings to shut blinds during construction to keep students’privacy were also distributed. Some students complained about the fencing around thebuildings.
“I was [upset that] they fenced off the areas I smoke in,” Patrick Emerson Childers, a freshman linguistics major, said. However, the inspection should not be too intrusive since it will not be continuous, Barkwill said.
“Once one side is finished they will move to another,” he added. The administrator does not “see any major impact to students.”
Christopher Smith, a junior publishing major, is one student particularly unconcerned by the scaffolding and fenced areas.
“The work is timely with all the other construction going on,” Smith said. “I [would only be affected] if they were doing repairs directly outside my window for an extendedperiod.”
The updates to the campus, such as the inspection and new construction, temporarily compromise the aesthetics of the arboretum, says Childers who sees an eyesore when he looks at the fences.
“It’s a national arboretum surrounded in yellow caution tape and orange fencing,” Childers said. “This is probably the best time of the year and I can’t even enjoy the slightly enjoyable arboretum.”
