Dunbar receives renovations

Katie King
Staff Reporter

Dunbar Hall, constructed in 1971, is on the list of campus buildings in need of renovation.

According to Carrie Comming, senior associate registrar, this summer in Dunbar there are going to be new furniture upgrades in at least one room.

Recently, 10 rooms in Dunbar were upgraded with new technology, Comming said; this was completed prior to spring semester.

Dunbar is a central location for general education classes at the university. In addition, classes in history and English are typically located here, according to Comming. The English department is housed on the fourth floor.

The hall contains 38 classrooms, which Comming said is average.

The constant challenge of keeping campus buildings up to date involves many variables. According to Jeff Carr, manager of maintenance services at the WMU Physical Plant, there are issues besides time and money that need to be taken into account for any given project.
The system for renovation and upkeep of campus buildings is based around a list of priorities. The top priority for updating buildings is technology; other priorities, in decreasing order, include safety, function, and cosmetic changes, according to Carr.

The Department of Student Affairs identifies renovation needs across campus and certain low priority projects are put on a deferred maintenance list. The amount of money in the general fund determines what is addressed this year. Renovations are decided on a yearly basis.

There is a priority list for building updates because of the limited resources; many buildings have to wait their turn.

Newer  buildings, such as the Dalton Center (completed in 1982), are lower on the priority list because they do not have as many maintenance problems.
In the summer, students are hired to help facilities management with maintaining the buildings, Carr said.

The students do a space condition analysis and try to identify various problem areas, such as lighting, chairs, and floors. These issues are then prioritized. The priority list determines where funds will be devoted, according to Carr.

There are an average of two custodians per building keeping up with the day to day cleaning that goes on, according to Carr, like stocking paper towel in the bathrooms.
The pipes within campus buildings are also a continuing concern; although they’re not visible, they still require regular maintenance.

Carr said that people often do not realize the magnitude of the work that goes on to maintain the buildings the campus community uses each day, and the team of maintenance workers at WMU is always hard at work to ensure the buildings are in the best condition possible.

“It’s never going to be what we would like it, but we try to do our best,” Carr said.

For small maintenance requests, Facilities Management provides a service called Bronco Fix-It. To submit a request, visit www.fm.wmich.edu, and use  the Bronco Fix-It links on the left hand side.

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Posted by thehair on Feb 5 2012. Filed under Breaking, Campus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry