Construction resumed on the roofs of Regina Hall, which has had leaky roofs for two years, in the fall semester of this year, said Bill Hambling, Director of Facilities at Saint Mary's.
"We started this roofing project last year and were unable to complete due to inclement weather," Hambling said.
Hambling issued an e-mail to Regina residents with a schedule for construction, which is set for completion by the end of this month.
"O'Laughlin is also undergoing similar work and everything from Regina and that work site is said to be cleaned up by May 2," he said.
Some students have found leaks in their dorm rooms.
"I know of several students that were upset about the leaks but felt better after our Maintenance Supervisor Timm Ringer spent time with them and explained what was going on," Hambling said.
While the construction has not impeded much of campus life, some students have found leaks in their dorm rooms. Regina resident Sarah Horn, a freshman, said she and her roommates first noticed a leak in their room when they returned from fall break in October.
"At first it was just a bubble like there was too much water underneath the paint [in the ceiling]," Horn said. "Then it grew to what it is now."
Horn said the facilities department tried to fix the problem by painting over the bubbled ceiling in the fall, but the leak persisted.
"A week later it was bubbling and the paint started chipping off on to all of our stuff," she said.
Horn said she isn't sure what is going to happen with the ceiling but always worries that it may get worse when she's asleep or not in the room.
"There have been times when I'm afraid I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night and the bed is just going to be soaking wet," she said. "I stripped my sheets before I went home for Christmas break because you just don't know if the ceiling is going to burst open and flood the room tomorrow."
She said the worst part about the leak isn't the fact that water is coming into the room.
"It's not just water, it's kind of like tar water," she said, describing the thick, brown color of the liquid. "It falls into our heater so it cooks the tar water and our room smells."
Hambling said the Facilities Department has spoken with students to make sure they feel comfortable in their rooms.
Administrators have been trying hard to keep residents comfortable and informed, freshman Christine Dits said. A few students, like Dits, chose to move from their rooms. She moved from her original room on Regina's fourth floor to her current room on the first floor.
"The moving process went smoothly and I am enjoying my new spacious room," Dits said.
The leaks in her previous room were not unlivable, she said, but Toyin Adeyemi, Regina Hall Director, gave her the option of relocating and she took it.
There are plans for further work on Regina Hall in the upcoming months, Hambling said in an e-mail. The building's lighting system is going to be upgraded to a more energy-efficient model, which will cut down heat emissions from the lights. This will allow for fewer costs in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, he said in the e-mail.
This fall, there will be a building envelope study, he said. This study, he said, will allow Building Facilities to discover problems such as faulty insulation. It will also reduce heating and cooling costs and is another tactic to make the building more energy efficient, he said.
"The information gathered from this study will assist with our deferred maintenance budget," Hambling said.
Another issue students have been voicing concern about is the unused swimming pool adjacent to Regina Hall's South Lounge. It was drained and closed when students returned to campus in August 2006.
"[The pool has] too many leaks and it became very costly to maintain," Hambling said.
Building Facilities does not intend to renovate the pool, but steps will be taken to remove it. The intention is to remove the pool and the roof over it and widen the already existing courtyard within Regina.
"I'm not sure of the timing for this project as we are in the process of securing funding,"? Hambling said.
Mandi Stirone contributed to this article.
