Stevenson Hall has been undergoing a new roofing project for the past month and a half. The project was originally projected to last until Oct. 2, but rain delays and various circumstances have pushed back the completion date. The project is expected to last until Oct. 28.
A crane was set up near Stevenson, which has blocked off a large section of the walkway. The blocked off walkway and the physical odor that comes from the fresh tar has made the environment around Stevenson Hall pungent and uncomfortable. Facility management has asked for students, professors and faculty to keep all of the classroom windows closed during this roofing project.
John Duke, director of operations for facilities management, has continued to engage Sonoma State University students and faculty with key information on the project. The latest update came on Friday, which described the situation and construction as still in progress. In past updates, it was revealed to the campus community that this project was initially slated for reconstruction during the summer, but due to extenuating circumstances was pushed to the fall semester.
Facilities has taken many steps to reduce the fumes in and around Stevenson Hall such as purging the hall with 100 percent outside air each night, turning the HVAC to recirculation mode to insure odor does not enter Stevenson and using additional measures to block fumes via the intake dampers.
Due to the complains of the odor of the tar, all work on the roofing project has been moved to the nighttime, from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.. With all work happening at night, the time frame for the project was extended to accommodate the night shift effort.
Since there has been rainfall that has been resonating on the rooftop, the company is now switching to an aqua-based sealer. Beginning Monday, the tar application process changed from the more pungent tar kettle to water-based glue. According to Duke, the odor from the water-based glue will not be as concentrated as the tar odor. It is also a necessary step to complete the project due to the added moisture in the air from having to work during the night.
