A contract break by a subcontractor
has caused a delay in the construction work on the exterior
of the main entrance to Walker Hall.
Clyde D. Robbins, director of Design and Construction, said
a sub-contractor involved with laying the concrete for the
project has bowed out of their contract.
“It is not rare for a sub-contractor to quit,”
Robbins said. “They change all the time.”
When a subcontractor quits it is the general contractor’s
responsibility to hire a new one.
Although the loss of the subcontractor causes some delay
on the project, Robbins said he does not expect it to cause
great problems.
“Once a new subcontractor is hired, it should not be
more than two weeks before the project is underway,”
Construction Manager W. Kelley Ingram said.
The only other factor that could postpone the completion
of the project is the weather. Robbins said if the weather
were too cold, the contractors would not be able to lay the
concrete. The temperature needs to be in the high 50s in
order for the concrete to set properly.
“It is an obvious inconvenience to the students and
faculty, but it is not impacting the overall project,”
Ingram said.
“In general, the project has gone fairly well,”
Associate Professor of Communication Dr. Norman Clark said.
“With any remodeling project, even in your own house,
you have to expect a certain amount of disruption. For the
most part, people have been understanding of that, but lately
the frustration level in the building has gone up.”
“The prevailing sentiment in the building right now
is that the building is, in many ways, in worse shape now
than it was before the renovation began,” Clark said.
Since the general contractor is still involved with the project,
the other renovations to Walker Hall are still going as planned.
Robbins said the loss of a sub-contractor would be worse
if they worked the mechanical or plumbing aspect of the project,
but since the subcontractor is in charge of the walkway,
it is not affecting any other project.
Ingram said students and faculty have understood delays throughout
the construction, although they have received a few e-mails
of complaints.
Ingram said one of the major complaints from the students
is the noise from the construction.
Ingram also said the contractor is now working nights in
order to fit the needs of the university.
“It is difficult to renovate with people inside the
building,” Robbins said.
“The Walker Hall construction has not been painless,
but it has been easier than projects in the past. In fact,
it is one of the better projects when it comes to funds and
being on time.”
Ingram said the walkway should be finished by the end of
fall semester and the whole project should be completed by
Dec. 15.
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