By Edem Atsu, Reporter
Edited by Victoria Severiche, Editor
MOUNT BERRY Ga.- The Berry College Evans School of Humanities building will be receiving a necessary facelift over the summer.
The Evans building will receive a new HVAC system, new energy-efficient windows, replacement flooring, and updates to the elevator. These important updates come after a several year delay.
Gabriel Barreneche, dean of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, said the hold came from setbacks in the supply chain that affected the shipment of the required machinery. These delays caused concern that, if renovations started and went unfinished, classrooms would be unable to open in time for student use in August.
“They wanted to make sure they absolutely had the equipment in hand before starting the project,” Barreneche said. “They were erring on the side of caution.”
The complete overhaul of the building’s HVAC system makes up the majority of the repairs. For its replacement, part of the roof will be removed, all piping from the boiler room will be replaced, and new boilers will be installed to support the heating system. The elevator will be updated, and the windows will be replaced as well.
Project Manager Nicholas Hopper said these renovations come from knowledge that the system is slowly failing, highlighting the importance of early action.
“Every mechanical system has an expected life span,” Hopper said. “Our system is living on borrowed time.”
He said it is better to replace the system at this point because, if it were to fail, Evans would be left without air conditioning, and the consequences of such a failure would be a much more difficult fix.
Faculty members face the choice between relocating for the summer or working from home, and many have chosen the latter. For those who choose to remain on campus, empty offices in other academic buildings are available, though these are limited. Barreneche, for instance, will be relocated to the Laughlin building for the duration of the summer. Professors can use the carrels on the second floor of the Memorial Library as well.
One of the soon to be displaced faculty members, Cultural Events Administrative Assistant Darla Fox, said she would be sharing an office with another faculty member in Laughlin for the duration of the renovations. Fox said the information technology office would help with moving the computers. However, Fox said she was unsure of how the rest of the move will be executed. Academic Success Center Office Manager Justin Brown also said not much information has been made available to him at this time.
“I think it’s still pretty early right now,” Brown said. “I’m not sure exactly where we’re being displaced to.”
The project is expected to be complete in late July or early August.