Photo by: Mary Cali

A meeting is set to take place regarding the damage to the roof in Peltier Hall from Hurricane Ida and its reconstruction.

Facilities and Project Management Director Danielle Breaux expects a pre-construction meeting with the architect, the state and the other organizations involved to discuss policies, regulations, and expectations of each organization. At that point, the anticipated construction timeline–150 days according to Breaux–will be legitimized as it pertains to the construction process.

Following the hurricane, campus repairs were organized into two quadrants. Peltier Hall was initially part of the main campus repairs, but within two and a half years, no progress was made other than tarping and re-tarping the roof. 

Breaux stated, “It’s just such a long process. Everyone is always working on this, there are just so many steps that need to be taken.”

One of the main reasons Peltier construction was put on hold was because of expenses. Repairs were initially seen to be just shy of $3 million, but after going out for bid the project came to $1,045,817 with Roof Technologies LLC being the lowest bidder. 

Students who frequent Peltier Hall for their classes noticed some issues pertaining to the roof leaks. Rachel Hensley, a senior English major, had noticed black mold on the ceiling. 

Katherine Dean, an English major graduate who still visits Peltier to work on the Mosaic literary magazine said, “It’s actually refreshing to see one of the most neglected buildings on campus get some TLC.”

According to Breaux, interior damage to the building will be handled once the roof is completed. “The plan is, as soon as they get the roof done, […] a different contractor is going to come in and make the repairs to the inside,” Breaux said.

One of Breaux’s main concerns is keeping the campus community informed about the construction and keeping the surrounding areas safe. She said that this will be a point of discussion within the pre-construction meeting. She also specified the periods of time when noisier construction will take place.

“We try our best to do the noisiest work when classes aren’t in, or during holiday breaks.” Breaux said.

With this in mind, she expects more major construction to start after final exams and after commencement.