Final renovations on Central Michigan University’s Music Building are scheduled to be complete by the end of August.

Dan Koefoed, Music Building coordinator and Performance Hall manager, said the plan is to have most of the labor done on Aug 15 and have scaffolding and fencing removed by Aug 28.

“We moved in equipment last week, and after the pre-construction meetings, actual construction began (June 30),” he said. “Progress all depends on how long the different sections are going to take.”

Koefoed said the planning for the construction began earlier in the year. However, scaffolding has been up since 2005 when the problem was first discovered.

“The scaffolding and fencing have been up for so long because it was a safety precaution to protect people from debris that could fall off,” Koefoed said.

Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of facilities management, said the construction will replace the top three courses of white exterior blocks and install aluminum cover over existing pre-cast concrete to ensure proper drainage of rain and snow.

Originally, there was no drip edge, which allowed water to run down the side of the building and caused water damage, Koefoed said.

The problem was first discovered after leaks, wall staining and other problems started to appear and the outside stone started to show discoloring, Koefoed said.

“Approximately 3,500 blocks will be removed and replaced with quarry limestone, along the entire exterior perimeter of the building,” Lawrence said in an e-mail.

The company that originally provided the materials will replace the stone at no cost to CMU, Lawrence said.

The university will pay an estimated $425,000 to cover the difference, which includes labor.

In February, the Board of Trustees approved up to $700,000 to cover the costs of the project, according to a March 28 Central Michigan Life article.

“It’s a big project,” Lawrence said. “However, the masonry restoration project work will complete the identified masonry repairs to the building.”

Koefoed said he is aware of the excitement of many faculty and staff in the building and is eager to get the project completed successfully.

Randi L’Hommedieu, School of Music chair, said he is very grateful the university worked so hard to get the problem resolved.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the building back to its pristine condition,” L’Hommedieu said. “It’s a beautiful building and I cannot wait to see it back to its original shape.”

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