Thursday, September 27, 1990
Erie
Delays continue to plague renovations
by Mark Owens
The Collegian
Headaches continue for the
Bchrend Athletic department as
completion dates for Erie Hall's
renovation are moved back.
Renovations to Erie Hall were
originally scheduled to be
finished by the start of classes
this fall, but because of
construction setbacks and
financial delays, administrators
say renovations won’t be
completed until next semester.
One of the major hurdles so
far has been the gymnasium
floor. According to Athletic
Director Herb Lauffer part of the
floor had to be ripped up again to
correct a dip near the area where
the old floor joins the new floor.
"When the floor was installed,
the seam between the old floor
and the new were flush.
Apparently part of the old floor
(near the end of the building) had
settled a bit, creating a dip that
has to be repaired," Lauffer said.
Repairs to floor have been
estimated at around $4500.
Lauffer said the floor should
"tentatively be ready by October
8."
Another problem is the delay
in installing the basketball hoops
and backboards. "Right now we're
not sure where the hoops are,"
Lauffer said. "We're trying to
look for alternatives to let our
teams practice. We're not sure
when they (the backboards) will
be here," he said.
There are also doubts as to
whether more bleachers will be
installed in the gym. Erie Hall
currently can seat around 450
people. With the extra floor space
created by the renovations, the
gym could possibly seat up to
1000 fans. Unfortunately, a tight
budget has, for now, scratched
plans for additional seating.
"Originally the budget had
bleachers included in it, but we
ran over hand had to make some
tough decisions," said Lauffer.
"In the end we opted for space
now and other things later. It
would cost around $25,000 to
install the bleachers the architect
originally specified. That's
$25,000 we don't have,” he said.
Unless the university
appropriates the money soon, it's
unlikely additional seating will
be installed.
There is some good points
however. The weight room, after
a few delays, is now open at its
regular hours to students.
"We were a little slow in
getting is done, mostly because
we had to wait for locks to be
installed," Lauffer said. "As long
as we weren't able to secure the
rest of the building we were a
little leery about having the
weight room open. Usually the
secretary locked up at 5 pm when
she left," he said.
Lauffer said he expects 12
pieces of Nautilus equipment and
three Stairmaster exercisers to
arrive by the first part of
Hall on hold
Up in the air: Workers continue to put
finishing touches on the Erie Hall gym. The
finish date for renovations has been pushed
back due to problems with the gym floor.
November.
"I talked to the vendor today
(Wednesday) and he said the
Nautilus equipment should be
installed by November. I know
the purchase order has been
approved, so it's on the way," he
said.
"We've tried to be
optimistic about all
of this... We've
found ourselves in a
situation where we
have to explore
alternatives for our
teams."
- Herb Lauffer
Athletic Director
He added some of the older
equipment will remain, such as
the free weights and the exercise
bicycles. Other equipment will be
discarded after the new machines
The Collegian
Mark Owens/T/ie Collegian
Lauffer said some of the
delays could have been avoided,
but some were unavoidable.
"We've tried to be optimistic
about all of this,” he said. "For
one reason or another the
contractor has missed dates and
we've found ourselves in a
situation where we have to
explore alternatives for our
teams."
At the moment the volleyball
team has been practicing at the
local YMCA or Iroquois High
School. "They're not in an ideal
situation," Lauffer said. "It's not
what we want, but we’re working
on adapting to it"
ROTC cadets
canoe, support
marathon
Behrend's ROTC program
started off the fall semester with a
canoeing lead lab on September
15.
In addition to canoeing
through the Lagoons at Presque
Isle State Park, cadets played
volleyball and football, and
cooked hot dogs and hamburgers.
"The canoeing was a blast,
but I really enjoyed the picnic"
said first semester Cadet Tammy
Murphy.
This lead lab was not just for
learning a new skill but to give
the cadets a chance to get to
Library delay
(continued from page 1)
furnishings and movable objects
in the building will not be
finalized until ground is broken.
"A certain percentage of the
total cost of the project will be
given for these items," said
Burke. Another bill must be
passed by the state to acquire this
money, which should total about
1.3 million dollars.
A specific date for ground
breaking is currently unavailable.
However, Burke said, "Our hope
is to be ready to go in April. We
will require the state to move
along...the state has agreed it is a
high priority with them."
The project will take
approximately two years for
completion.
"This is turning out to be a
minor delay. It will not be a
major delay towards us gelling a
new library,” said Ginny Rodes,
acting Head Librarian and Science
Librarian,
Presently, the library carries
900 journals and 70,000 books
with seating for approximately
100 people. The new library
complex will include 2 1/2 floors
We're on top of it.
know one another in a social
atmosphere.
That same weekend, the
ROTC program participated as
support in the annual
ERIESISTABLE Marathon.
The cadets supported the last
mile of the race along French St.
and then into the Erie Veterans
Memorial Stadium.
It was a cold and wet day, but
the cadets didn’t mind. "I love
this weather and I'm glad I had
this chance to help," said Cadet
Andrew Zimmer.
with seating for 900 students and
room to double the number of
books.
On-line circulation will also
be a new addition to the library.
Using this check-out method,
Rodes said each book will be bar
coded. When a student wants to
check out a book, a laser will be
used to scan the book and the
student's ID card. The system,
which is currently in use at
University Park, will eliminate
stamping and signing names.
"The best thing is you can
call us up and find out what
books you have out, when they're
due, etc. This increases privacy
because there will be no record of
who took out the book," Rodes
said.
Rodes says she is happy with
the tentative plans for the
structure. "We will definitely
have a library to accommodate
Behrend for the next twenty
years."
A LAST STRAW
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The Collegian
Page 3