Students walking past Middleton Library these days find themselves swimming in a sea of orange.
Bright orange barricades block off construction on the walkways surrounding the library amid renovations that will water proof the basement, according to Sam Territo, associate director of Facility Maintenance.
Territo said the project will be completed in two phases, the first of which concerns the east side of Middleton between the library and Memorial Tower because it has seen the most damage. The second will address the rest of the walkways.
He said the first phase is expected to be complete by May.
Territo said the reason for the problem is the walls of the library’s second floor and the basement line up, and the first floor recesses to form a walkway around the building.
He said rainwater dripping from students’ shoes and belongings soaked through the walkway into the ground beneath it and reached the basement ceiling.
Territo said workers laid down a waterproof membrane under the walkway when the library was first built in the late 1950s, but after about 20 years, cracks began to form, and the membrane stopped working.
He said Facility Services has worked intermittently throughout the years since the issue first came up in the 1980s by spraying it with a waterproofing solution and caulking significant cracks.
Territo said the office finally decided to replace the entire walkway in 2009.
“We basically had to remove the old walkway, scrape out the old membrane, replace it and repave it,” Territo said.
Territo said the new walkway will be paved with a smooth concrete finish which will be less slippery during inclement weather than the aggregate material the rest of the Quad is paved with.
He also said the concrete will be better for students in wheelchairs to use.
“It’s definitely the more [Americans with Disabilities Act]-friendly material,” Territo said.
Territo said the basement has lost some ceiling tiles and several of its carpet tiles have had to be cleaned or replaced.
He said Facility Services tries to schedule construction work minimal impact on students, but inconvenience is inevitable in any construction job.
Territo said the first phase of the project will cost $200,000 to $250,000, and the second phase should cost about the same amount.
The money comes from deferred maintenance funding from the state.
Tony Lombardo, Facility Services assistant vice chancellor, said Facility Services keeps a list of deferred maintenance projects and prioritizes them by analyzing several factors.
Lombardo said Facility Services assigns risk levels to each project based on lifespan of materials used and the impact it has on students and other projects.
He said the office has had to work to become even more efficient in recent years because of the University’s budget situation.
“When the regular maintenance operation budget decreases, the deferred maintenance list increases,” Lombardo said. “Without those funds, the list will never get smaller.”
Amanda Knippers, Middleton Library facility manager, said she doesn’t think the construction has stopped anyone from visiting the library.
“It pretty much has been going the way it was going,” she said. “It hasn’t stopped anyone from coming in.”
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Contact Rachel Warren at
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