More Brooks Hall renovations completed over break
Brooks Hall went through another round of renovations costing $425,000 over winter break.
Temperature control and noise problems were the major issues tackled. Although there have not been any temperature problems in about a month, the new renovations will help in the long run, said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management.
Work was done in 21 labs and classrooms, including changes in ductwork, putting in a new ceiling, insulation and heat pump mounts.
“The rooms should be more comfortable and quiet,” Lawrence said.
About $1.5 million was allocated to Brooks Hall renovations at the December Board of Trustees meeting, with $300,000 coming from the Deferred Maintenance Fund and $1.2 million coming from the general university fund.
The original renovations, including installation of underground water pipes and air conditioning ducts, originally cost $5.65 million with an additional $750,000 approved in September.
The most recent renovations began Dec. 12 and were finished Wednesday.
Piping also was worked on, along with energy recovery units, where heating and cooling coils are located.
Lawrence said more work would be done on heat pumps over offices in mid-May or early August, when professors are not around as much.
A new operating system should allow the building to run more efficiently for a long-term period.
A troubled past
Some of the renovations — mainly the ductwork — were fixes to mistakes during summer renovations.
“There’s a whole host of issues that we had to deal with the building,” Lawrence said.
Along with the ductwork done incorrectly, new fire codes forced Facilities Management to act quickly to prepare for the return of students and professors last fall.
The new codes required walls to extend all the way to the deck of the floor above. In Brooks Hall, some of the walls had a four- or five-foot gap, Lawrence said.
“We had a lot of work to do in three days,” he said.
In October, the HVAC control system used to control the climate of the building malfunctioned, leaving many rooms unusually cold.
Of the $1.5 million allocated at the December Board of Trustees meeting, $1.42 million is for the HVAC project and $80,000 is for classroom carpet replacement, Lawrence said.
During the Board meeting, Trustee Brian Fannon said the university would seek compensation from those responsible for the renovations done incorrectly over the summer. Lawrence said that has not been looked into yet, because the first priority is to get the building renovations completed.
“It’s a pretty involved process,” he said. “The main push right now is to get the rooms comfortable all the time.”
Steve Smith, director of Public Relations, said legal issues would not be an option until all the work has been completed.
“Until we have identified the extent of the problem, we won’t know what we’re ultimately going to end up paying,” he said. “Once that is done, decisions will be made as to whether or not legal action will be taken.”
The first priority is to get the situation corrected and then to seek recourse, Smith said.
