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Construction could be disruptive University officials hope classes in building don't have to be relocated By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Daily Tidings Southern Oregon University's asbestos abatement project in the Education-Psychology Building has only days to finish before the start of the academic year. "We're struggling every day to ensure the parts of the building we need are ready by Monday," said Bruce Moats, director of the SOU Physical Plant. According to Moats, the project has hit a snag. In mid-August, contractors discovered the lobby ceiling's supporting wires had begun to fail and needed to be repaired. For now, returning students will be able to enter the building through the east and west wings as the ceiling gets replaced, Moats said. "It will be an inconvenience to use only the east and west end for access to the building," he said. The basement or lower level - which hosts education classrooms - is virtually complete and so is most of the east wing. However, contractors are rushing to get the west wing of the main level done by Thursday, when movers are scheduled to return materials like desks, computers and books to classrooms. Moats said if the lower and middle floors - particularly the west wing which hosts the on-campus preschool center, distance learning program and two large classrooms - are not complete by Thursday, it could create a potential problem. "Essentially we don't have a plan B," he said of the west wing space. "We need those classrooms." The top level of the Ed-Psych Building, which hosts much of the Psychology Department, is not scheduled for completion until January, university officials said. Classrooms, offices, faculty and students were relocated after spring term to allow for the wholesale removal of asbestos from the Ed-Psych building, where dangerous materials were found in the ceiling and rooftop of the mechanical penthouse - both of which serve as air ducts for the building's ventilation system. An early 1990's state-funded inspection tipped university officials to the problem. However, limited funds postponed the estimated $1.5 million project until now. According to Mike Corcoran, SOU registrar, 26 classes were relocated over the summer to other campus classrooms and to Ashland High School. An additional 24 classes were relocated on campus for fall term. "If the schedule for the lower and middle floor is met, that's great," Corcoran said. "But, if it's not, we would have an additional 45 classes that would have to be relocated for fall term." SOU officials said arrangements have been made with the Ashland School District for use of space at Lincoln Elementary for the university's preschool if the project is unable to meet deadline. In addition to moving classes around, faculty members were also scattered. Some faculty and staff worked out of homes, in temporary trailers, in Taylor Hall and in the ACCESS Center in the Stevenson Union. In all, 12 faculty members and five staff were dislocated. "My greatest concern is the tremendous inconvenience imposed on the faculty of those two departments," Moats said. "They're supposed to hit the ground running Monday and they'll have a weekend to organize." Geoff Mills, SOU Dean of Education, spent the summer with seven other faculty members in a temporary trailer. He said he's intending to return to the building Thursday. "I wasn't about to move my staff, faculty and students back in there without assurance that it will meet DEQ standards and I've been given that assurance," Mills said. Mills said the building's ventilation system will remain off for the next couple of weeks, but that it will be good to get back and get classrooms running. "It was a challenging time but everyone seems to have weathered the storm," he said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -