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Solarium opens
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Jonathan Williams | The Appalachian
(left-right) Dan J. Hettinger, Devin M. Grobert, Matthew H. Blackburn and Caitlin E. Leadem camped out all night in front of the solarium, braving temperatures in the low 20s, for its opening on Monday morning, hoping to be the first students to walk through the new building. |
by Justin Boulmay
Senior Staff Writer
It’s finally finished.
The Summit Trail Solarium, the construction project at Appalachian State University notorious for its setbacks, opened yesterday at 10 a.m.
The facility has been under construction since this year’s seniors were freshmen.
Devin M. Grobert, a junior English major from Chatham, N.J., camped out during the night before the building opened.
“I was just really excited about the Solarium,” Grobert said. “There’s been a lot of construction going on campus and it’s clogging things up, but this is awesome, man. This is something to be excited about. I just felt like people weren’t hyped up enough.”
The Solarium includes a fountain, plants, two artistic sheet rocks with engravings on both, a performing stage, plenty of new student seating and an upstairs balcony with overflow seating for McAlister’s Deli.
Two faculty members from Hayes School of Music, Todd T. Wright and Andy Page, played the saxophone and guitar as students looked at the new surroundings.
Lindsay C. Mitchell, a junior public and organizational communication major from Rocky Mount said the setting of the new facility was perfect for studying.
“I really do think it’s a very tranquil atmosphere,” she said. “It’s warm. It’s a nice break from the winter cold.”
“I think this is fabulous,” Director for Student Programs Dave L. Robertson said. “I think this is incredible. There aren’t many student unions on college campuses that have a space like this.
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| Peter Larkins | The Appalachian |
“Basically, it will have a lot of flavor a lot like this,” Robertson said, referring to music playing in the background as students studied or conversed with one another. “There’s music where you can still talk and study and do whatever.”
Grand opening festivites are scheduled for Nov. 29-Dec. 3.
The festival will consist primarily of musical entertainment. As of yesterday, not all the bands had been booked for the nighttime events.
The Office of Student Programs has requested the Chancellor’s Office to approve a Dec. 3 dedication ceremony, but the date has not yet been confirmed, Robertson said.
The Solarium passed a state inspection over a week ago under the condition that repairs would be made to problems that were unearthed at the time.
Project Manager W. Kelley Ingram said there was a problem last week where one of the walls wasn’t properly sealed off against an existing wall, and the contractor had to come in and fix it.
Once the problems were fixed, student union staff held a special meeting to determine whether they could get everything ready for the opening on Monday.
“We’re happy, we’re relieved that we finally got it open,” Administrative Officer for Student Programs Scott Cato said. “This is a big day for us.”
Cato said the student union staff is not used to having people in the Solarium. “I was just telling [someone] I feel like I’m supposed to run everybody out. It’s just our instinct.”
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Setbacks plague opening
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Peter Larkins | The Appalachian
Students fill the Solarium after it's opening Monday morning. |
by Anna Oakes
Staff Writer
Once merely a twinkle in the office of Design and Construction’s eye, the Summit Trail Solarium has persevered through all obstacles and has become a reality.
The early years
Plans for the solarium addition, which was built over the former south-side patio and balcony area of Plemmons Student Union, were aimed at relieving overcrowding in the facility.
The solarium project and the University Bookstore addition were joined as one effort. Completion of the solarium was slated for January 2003, with the completion of the bookstore to follow six months later.
“The whole project was supposed to be completed in 18 months, presuming great weather,” Director of Design and Construction Dr. Clyde D. Robbins said.
Cost of the solarium addition was estimated to be $3.5 million.
Winston-Salem architecture firm Walter, Robbs, Callahan and Pierce drew up the blueprints for the project, and university officials began taking contracting bids in spring 2001.
Robbins said the solarium was a multi-prime project with four independent contractors. Low-bid contractor Crossley Construction of Knoxville, Tenn. was selected as general contractor.
Delays in the project started early.
Crossley Construction refused to start construction for six months, Robbins said. There were continual arguments between contractors regarding their separate responsibilities, he said.
“At the beginning, we were six months behind,” Robbins said. “[The contractors] didn’t have direction.”
Growing up is hard
In March 2002 solarium Project Manager Kelley W. Ingram, in a foreshadowing of days to come, discussed factors that could lead to additional construction delays.
“We cannot proceed in wet weather,” Ingram said. “[This winter’s weather has been] wreaking havoc on us.”
After the general contractor’s superintendent had to take an emergency leave for heart surgery, project leaders had to seek a replacement, causing more delays, Ingram said in November 2002.
Contractors began working on “recovery” schedules, and the solarium completion date was pushed back to March 2003, Robbins said the same month.
The date for completion was pushed back again after a cold 2002-03 winter prevented workers from “closing in” the building so interior work could begin, Robbins said in January 2003.
Robbins then expected a summer 2003 completion.
“The whole [bookstore and solarium addition] project has been absurd with delays,” Director of Student Programs David L. Robertson said that month.
“In my 40 years of experience, this has been the worst project ever.”
Clyde D. Robbins
Director, Design & Construction
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The solarium construction site was voted the “ugliest place on campus,” in a 100-student survey in February 2003.
In September 2003, Robbins announced that the mechanical contractor for the project was bankrupt, and completion was slated for January 2004.
“[Multi-prime projects are] just a nightmare, no single firm ends up being responsible for the whole project, and it’s very hard to coordinate when anything goes wrong,” Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Jane P. Helm said in October 2003.
In February this year, Robbins said the solarium would be completed by April.
During the summer the office of Design and Construction placed Crossley Construction under default for failing to finish the solarium and the University Bookstore.
Bovis Lend Lease, the same contractor for the new Belk Library and Information Commons, was hired to finish the job.
In late July, Robbins said the solarium was within three weeks of completion.
Robbins said at the beginning on the semester no later than Oct. 10.
Modern maturity
After the leftovers of several hurricanes dumped inches of rain on campus, workers discovered leaks from faulty caulking in the solarium and necessary repairs pushed completion to late October.
Repairs and last-minute preparations for state inspections delayed completion a few more weeks to the solarium’s grand opening, yesterday.
“In my 40 years of experience, this has been the worst project ever,” Robbins said. Robbins has overseen more than 80 projects at Appalachian.
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Mixed reactions from students
by Jennifer Schneider
Staff Writer
The campus’s impossible dream came true yesterday with the opening of the new solarium.
After three-and-a-half-years of construction the doors opened for students to view the remodeled Plemmons Student Union.
“I think it’s great. I think it is going to be a great place for people to study with a nice warm atmosphere. I don’t think it should have taken quite as long but I’m glad that it’s there,” junior chemistry major Brad C. Miller said.
Students camped outside of the building the night before to be able to say they were the first students in the new wing.
“I’m happy the solarium has finally opened because of the added room it will bring for studying and being able to hang out and talk with my friends,” junior mathematics and secondary education major Kyra L. Ramey said.
Although many are amazed and pleased with the design of the solarium others expected more.
“I thought it would be a little more innovated. I think they have a lot of similar things around campus,” junior political science major Laura L. Powell said.
Although happiness fills the bright new room an underlying displeasure is still whispered by students.
“It’s ridiculous that we paid so much money and it took so long to be completed. They shouldn’t start so many projects at one time if they can’t get them finished on time,” sophomore elementary education major Bonnie N. Rash said
Many older students feel that they received the short end of the stick by having to deal with the construction for so long.
“I am pleased that the solarium is open and I am impressed with its design, but I am disappointed that I can only enjoy it for the next semester until I graduate when its construction has been a nuisance for so much longer,” senior criminal justice major Adam C. Wiley said.
The solarium brings extra space to an ever-growing campus. Many students commented thought that the addition seemed like it would be much bigger from the outside.
“It is really nice, I enjoy the atmosphere and feeling like you are outside but still being inside,” Campus Crusade intern and alumnus Jason Gregory said.
“The wait annoyed me tremendously and I don’t think it is as flashy as I had hoped it would be after waiting. I really, really deep down thought the world would end before it opened.”
No matter the small details the majority of students are happy for that chapter of the university’s construction to be over.
“I think it’s been a long time coming. I think it was worth the wait because this was something we needed. It’s the first new construction thing we have gotten so I think students needed it to keep up the construction support around campus,” Powell said.
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Lessons learned from Solarium completion
by Justin Boulmay
Senior Staff Writer
As the Summit Trail Solarium’s completion seemed near, Project Manager W. Kelley Ingram said he wasn’t excited the project was finished.
“‘Excited’ is not the word. ‘Relieved’ is a better word,” Ingram said. “It’s been a very trying experience.”
That was three months ago, when the university thought the solarium’s opening was imminent.
However, the facility has been known for its setbacks and postponed completion and opening dates.
Both Ingram and Dr. Clyde D. Robbins, the director of Design and Construction, said their department has taken on some new techniques for projects in the future.
The university will not use a multi-prime delivery system to find a contractor. Under this system, the university hires separate contractors for each aspect of the project, such as electrical and mechanical work.
“That means that we’ve got four independent people working. There’s no carrot or stick to force them to work together,” Robbins said. “Multi-prime is a horrible way to take to deliver a project.”
Project manager for Belk Library & Information Commons Patrick A. Beville said that method of delivery opened the door for bickering and other problems.
Ingram said the multi-prime system was instituted years ago by the North Carolina General Assembly after some contractors were being blamed for problems caused by the general contractor.
Robbins said the multi-prime delivery system is an option not likely to be continued at Appalachian State University.
“It was a state requirement that we use multi-prime. We have the option of doing that but we’ll never do it again so long as I’m here,” Robbins said.
The university instead will use two other systems: single-prime and C.M. at Risk. In C.M. at Risk, the contractor is required to propose a maximum price and a guaranteed project schedule before their bid is accepted.
For projects that cost over $12 million, the university will use C.M. at risk. The single-prime system will be used for projects under that amount.
Not every construction company will be able to bid on a project, Robbins said.
“What’s changed is this: we’re no longer opening our projects for anybody to bid. We will pre-qualify contractors and say, these are the only contractors who can bid this project,” Robbins said. “We’ll pre-qualify them on their experience in the university system. That’s probably the biggest difference in the selection of contractors.”
The university is not likely to work with Crossley Construction Corporation again, Robbins said.
Crossley was the general contractor for the Solarium, but was defaulted last summer after failing to meet its obligations.
Robbins said he’s also learned more about the people he works with.
“I’ve learned a lot in terms of my staff and their ability,” he said. “I think we’re better able to perceive some of the problems earlier on.”
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