Ohio State will spend $2.5 million to replace seven elevators in four campus buildings.
The project is part of an on-going plan, according to university officials, who added it is not in response to the September 2006 death of freshman Andrew Polakowski in an elevator accident. However, Libby Eckhardt, of OSU’s Academic Affairs Administration, said the incident sparked the university to examine elevator repair.
“The requirements to identify a unit for repair/renovation have changed,” Eckhardt said in an e-mail. “We look at more detailed information … to review ‘trends’ to better identify the correct priority of the projects/repairs.”
The university plans to renovate elevators in Canfield Hall, Taylor Tower, Macquigg Laboratory and Watts Hall.
The cost to replace Canfield Hall’s one elevator is $360,000 and the money will come from university bonds. The cost for Watts Hall is just over $329,000, and state funds will take care of that bill. The elevator in Macquigg Laboratory will cost just under $396,000 to replace and will also be taken care of by state funds. And finally, Taylor Tower will have four elevators replaced. The cost is $1.5 million and will be paid for by university bonds.
“A key point is the elevator replacement is part of a larger ongoing effort to keep our elevators upgraded and modern and has been planned since 1998” said Ruth Gerstner, of Student Affairs Administration.
Gerstner also said the university has recently finished extensive work elevators in Lincoln, Morrill and Drackett towers.
But one Taylor Tower resident is still concerned.
“Many times I’ve been standing waiting in the elevator and it’ll start to shake and it’ll click on every floor,” said Matthew O’Neil, a freshman in biology. “And many times the doors won’t close at first. So it’s probably not the safest thing.”
Eckhardt said the elevator project depends on a few different factors for replacement.
“This is dependent on the specific unit,” Eckhardt said. “Factors like age, preventive maintenance evaluations, usage, reliability, code compliance, etc. all factor into the decision of when a unit is scheduled for a ‘major’ renovation or replacement.”
A major renovation or replacement means tearing the old elevator out and replacing it with an elevator up to modern standards.
“The upgrades to the elevator systems include machines, controllers, fixtures, hoistway equipment, and cab interiors,” Gerstner said. “(The) design is to include current code required elevator equipment, firefighters operation, fire recall and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) provisions.”
The new elevators will also have what is called a two-hour code. It refers to a fire prevention regulation that requires an elevator room to contain a fire for at least two hours before it spreads to the rest of the building.
The repairs for Canfield Hall and Taylor Tower are scheduled to start in December 2008, and Macquigg Laboratory and Watts Hall can expect a makeover in the summer of 2010. Once construction starts, it will take approximately three to six months to complete, and some students say it will be an inconvenience.
“I’m on the top floor,” O’Neil said. “So personally it’s a real pain to walk down 12 flights of stairs, especially when you have to go all the way from north campus to south campus to class. You’re already pressed for time.”
But university officials say they will try to limit the inconvenience.
“We typically plan for elevator construction to occur during the summer,” Eckhardt said. “We also work with the building coordinator and other building users to minimize the impact to everyone affected by the work. Also, if there are multiple units in the buildings, we stagger the renovation/repairs so that there is at least one unit operating to serve the building occupants.”
O’Neil said the repairs could not have come at a better time. “Without a doubt it’s definitely time for them to be fixed,” he said.
Elyse Coulter can be reached at [email protected].
