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> By John Darling for the Mail Tribune September 10. 2014 5:39PM The sorry state of McNeal Drew Gilliland, director of Facilities, Management and Planning, points out crumbling within the cement blocks of Southern Oregon University's McNeal Pavilion. JD Anderson photo Parts of Southern Oregon University's athletic complex may have to be torn down after structural deterioration was found prior to a major remodel. Three of four segments of McNeal Pavilion — including the main gym, pool and small gyms — may have to be torn down after ZCS Engineering of Grants Pass found that steel columns and cinder blocks holding up the gym are corroding from the inside and beginning to buckle, said Drew Gilliland, SOU director of Facilities, Management and Planning. It may be cheaper to pull the building down and start over, rather than repair and upgrade it as planned, Gilliland said.  The McNeal complex was slated for a $21 million seismic and mechanical upgrade, starting next spring. The project was to begin in conjunction with construction of a new Student Recreation Center east of McNeal. On Wednesday, Gilliland pointed out corrosion and bulging on the southwest corner of the building. Inside that corner, cinder blocks were visibly cracked or collapsed, revealing corroding re-bar and steel girders. The concrete used in building some decades ago was “not the best,” he added. McNeal was built in four parts since World War II: gym, pool, auxiliary gyms and, on the south, more modern administrative offices. Engineers over the next six to eight weeks will evaluate whether the older two or three parts of the complex should come down, allowing for a new athletic complex to rise on part or most of the old one. Asked whether rebuilding could be accomplished within the $21 million remodeling budget, Gilliland said, “Absolutely.” Such new construction would impact the school’s indoor sports, but whether and how won't be known for a few months.  An additional complication for McNeal is that “it’s full of asbestos and has huge seismic deficiencies,” said Gilliland. This means engineers have to evaluate whether it would be more cost effective to remedy those issues or wipe the slate clean and build a new complex.  “If McNeal were a person, I’d say he was in his 80s,” said Gilliland. “It’s terrible. It’s fast deteriorating. It’s like a ’58 Studebaker; no matter how much you fix it up, it’s still a ’58 Studebaker. Some of this is over 50 years old. It’s more than deterioration.” The discovery of McNeal's problems came at a fortuitous time, as local legislators several months ago got the project pushed to the top of the funding calendar, so it can be accomplished at the same time and with the same architects and engineers as the new Recreation Center, he said. The remodel of the SOU theater building recently got the last half of its funding from the state, an $11 million project that will start next summer, he added. The work on the gym was to start about the same time, but because of its deterioration, it could start as early as December, he said.   Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected]. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20140910/NEWS/140919947 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->