Construction causes cable outages

By Diane Ramirez     9/17/09 7:00pm

Duncan College and McMurtry College are not the only colleges which have faced construction troubles this semester. In the past two weeks, the south colleges have encountered issues that include cable and electricity outages and noise and water problems. According to both Project Manager Larry Vossler and Manager of Communications for Facilities Engineering and Planning Susann Glenn, Sid Richardson College and Lovett College have suffered the brunt of the construction discomforts, as they are located near the Baker College and Will Rice College renovations. On the other end of the south campus, both Wiess College and Hanszen College have also run across issues from construction.

Glenn said one of the more recent problems occurred last Wednesday around 4 p.m. when Lovett, Wiess, Sid Richardson and Hanszen suffered a cable outage because a major television line was accidentally cut at the construction site. The cable was out for more than a day before the outage was resolved. A new length of cable was re-run, and cable service was restored just in time for the NFL kickoff between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In addition to a lack of television reception, students at Lovett said they have also had to deal with sputtering shower heads and electricity problems.

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Lovett junior Arindam Sakar said many students are frustrated with electricity outages, since they slow basic processes, like laundry. He said students are also annoyed with added walking time due to obstructed paths and construction fences.

Sakar said, however, that though students feel annoyed, they recognize this is a temporary situation.

"It is particularly inconvenient, but in the grand scheme of things it is just a transitory phase," he said.

Vossler and Glenn said they have directed their attention and efforts to making sure the construction affects students in the least negative way possible. Glenn said their efforts include constant communication with the students, so that any possible outages or discomforts are scheduled at convenient times, and when the least amount of people will be bothered.

Glenn said communication with the students helps bring problems to the attention of FE&P and allows problems to be resolved quickly.

"What helps a lot is that students are proactive about issues," Glenn said.

Vossler said the construction was organized so that most of the noisy, more extensive work was completed before classes began this semester. Both he and Glenn have taken measures to reduce noise annoyance and create better relationships with those affected by the constructions, such as handing out ear plugs.

"We do try to be good neighbors," Vossler said.

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