2008 Woodie Awards
Banks Hall receives roof repair
Antonio Graves
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
Originally published: 9/27/07 at 6:51 PM EST
Last update: 9/27/07 at 6:49 PM EST
- Page 1 of 1
Buzz! Bang! Knock, Knock! Those were the sounds too frequently heard by the residents of Banks Hall during the beginning of the semester. These noises started early and proved to be a nuisance to many who heard them. Wondering what those noises were? These loud knocks were the sounds of much-needed renovations to Banks Hall's leaky roof.
"Well, the construction was obviously annoying, since it started in the morning," junior Harmony Matos, Banks' sixth-floor resident assistant said. "But there was nothing they could do about it, since the work needed to be done."
The bad smells, insulator holes and leaks appear to have been fixed in the estimated $115,000 roof-repair project. The previous ballasted roof was replaced with a rubber membrane roof, which comes with a 30-year warrantee. The new roof is now fully adhered with 90 pounds of rubber glued to the insulation board rather than having the insulation board held down just by crushed stones. The new roof has been thoroughly tested to withstand winds as high as 100 mph.
"Out of all the dorms on campus, Banks had to have been in the worst condition," said Chris Jackson, facilities financial manager. "The building was constructed in the late '70s and had met its life expectancy."
In the North Country, flat roofs collect a lot of water, which causes the insulators to deteriorate. This deterioration is what caused the apartments on the ninth floor to develop an odor.
Junior Christina Peralta, a secondary education major, can still remember the bad smells in 93B, her previous apartment in Banks Hall. Peralta was unfortunate enough to have had three ceiling leaks, which were in her bedroom, living room and kitchen.
"The apartment smelled as if someone washed a load of clothes and left them crunched up in the back of a closet for a month," Peralta said. "It was a nightmare living there."
As a result of the leaks, bubble plaster had formed on her bedroom ceiling. In order to prevent further damage to her stained carpet, she was forced to place trash cans under the leaks. Upon coming back from her winter vacation, she was welcomed with the caked-up mildew that she said smelled awful.
"Housing said that they were going to do construction over the winter break, but that never happened," she said. "I don't know if they patched it up like they always did or actually fixed it."
Finally, after numerous demands for change from students like Peralta, the capital investment was made by the dorm committee. As stated by Chris Jackson, it became economically prudent to continually patch the roof. During this summer, the dorm committee made the decision to hire an engineer to construct plans for the project.
Next, the committee placed the plans on the Contract Reporter, where all the contractors in the state look for clients.
RSI Contractor won the contract due to their qualified experience and inexpensive service.
"Well, the construction was obviously annoying, since it started in the morning," junior Harmony Matos, Banks' sixth-floor resident assistant said. "But there was nothing they could do about it, since the work needed to be done."
The bad smells, insulator holes and leaks appear to have been fixed in the estimated $115,000 roof-repair project. The previous ballasted roof was replaced with a rubber membrane roof, which comes with a 30-year warrantee. The new roof is now fully adhered with 90 pounds of rubber glued to the insulation board rather than having the insulation board held down just by crushed stones. The new roof has been thoroughly tested to withstand winds as high as 100 mph.
"Out of all the dorms on campus, Banks had to have been in the worst condition," said Chris Jackson, facilities financial manager. "The building was constructed in the late '70s and had met its life expectancy."
In the North Country, flat roofs collect a lot of water, which causes the insulators to deteriorate. This deterioration is what caused the apartments on the ninth floor to develop an odor.
Junior Christina Peralta, a secondary education major, can still remember the bad smells in 93B, her previous apartment in Banks Hall. Peralta was unfortunate enough to have had three ceiling leaks, which were in her bedroom, living room and kitchen.
"The apartment smelled as if someone washed a load of clothes and left them crunched up in the back of a closet for a month," Peralta said. "It was a nightmare living there."
As a result of the leaks, bubble plaster had formed on her bedroom ceiling. In order to prevent further damage to her stained carpet, she was forced to place trash cans under the leaks. Upon coming back from her winter vacation, she was welcomed with the caked-up mildew that she said smelled awful.
"Housing said that they were going to do construction over the winter break, but that never happened," she said. "I don't know if they patched it up like they always did or actually fixed it."
Finally, after numerous demands for change from students like Peralta, the capital investment was made by the dorm committee. As stated by Chris Jackson, it became economically prudent to continually patch the roof. During this summer, the dorm committee made the decision to hire an engineer to construct plans for the project.
Next, the committee placed the plans on the Contract Reporter, where all the contractors in the state look for clients.
RSI Contractor won the contract due to their qualified experience and inexpensive service.
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