University administrators said students were not at risk from the fumes that circulated through Peltier Hall last week as a result of the renovations in the building.Mike Davis, assistant vice president for administration, said fumes from spray paint and oil-based primer circulated through Peltier’s main air conditioning system after doors leading to Peltier Auditorium were left open last Monday morning.
Brian Clausen, environmental health and safety director, said most of the fumes on Monday were from spray paint applied to the iron grid work holding up ceiling tiles in the auditorium over the weekend as part of its renovations.
Clausen said he visited the building three times a day since last Monday to make sure students and faculty were not in danger and found there was no threat. “Very little got through on Monday, and it quickly aired out,” Clausen said. “The smell from Tuesday through the end of the week was just latex paint.”
Clausen said he immediately responded to the situation when he received notification and has been working with the contractors and administration to fix the problem. “We’re all on board to take the steps needed to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Clausen said.
Davis said there were noise issues related to the renovations of the auditorium in December and there will be more issues later in the semester when construction workers seal the concrete and finish the stage, but he is working with the contractor so the construction can be done while classes are not being held.
“We certainly apologize,” Davis said.
Michele Theriot, associate professor of languages and literature, said she relocated one of her classrooms because of the fumes. “Some of my students were bothered by the fumes,” Theriot said. “I have migraines, so it bothered me too.”
Theriot said she was never told why the fumes had circulated through the building and found the smell was still strong on Monday.
Daryl Holmes, associate professor of languages and literature, said the fumes were in the offices, classrooms and halls in Peltier. “It was enough to give me and other people a headache,” Holmes said. “It made me nauseous.”
Holmes said she was informed Clausen had checked on the situation and that it was not anticipated, but teachers could have been forewarned about the fumes. She said the main issue with the fumes was there was no way to ventilate the classrooms. The windows in Peltier have been screwed shut since last hurricane season, preventing the windows from opening.
The auditorium is in its first phase of renovations and will cost the University about $475,000. Davis said the project will add a new sound system, ceiling and carpeting to the auditorium. Workers will add new seats but reduce the number of seats from 1,000 to 770 to allow for more space between rows.
The project will also remodel the auditorium’s bathrooms and entryway. Davis said the current bathrooms are non-compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the University will spend about $240,000 to expand them to meet standards. Workers will gut the Office of Disability Services in the second phase of reconstruction and use part of the office to create a new entrance to the auditorium. The Office of Disability Services will move to the Tutorial and Academic Enhancement Center in Shaver Gym as part of the second phase of the renovations.
Davis said the auditorium was in great need of renovations as it gives off a bad first impression because of how deteriorated it has become. “It’s the biggest auditorium on campus and it’s simply worn out,” Davis said. “We’re taking an old-aged facility that looks the way it did when it opened and making it into a really nice facility.”
Davis said he expects the first phase of the project to be completed by May 1.
