By Sarah Blythe-Wood
The construction of the Lakeview Residence Hall proved to be a nuisance
for residents who lived nearby, Patty Kaczmarek, Marsh Hall sophomore and resident assistant, said.
The project, which began in August 2006, was completed in December, and students were to move in for the spring semester, said Steve Bisese, vice president for student development.
Lakeview is going to be a great dorm, Kaczmarek said, but the construction annoyed the residents for so long that they waited in high
anticipation for its completion.
When the resident assistants arrived for RA training on Aug. 15, the construction was in full progress, she said. After an intense day of training, all the RAs wanted to do was relax in their rooms and unwind, she said, but there were so many obstacles to deal with. Two of the three entrances into Marsh hall were blocked off, which meant that anyone who wanted to get in had to walk around to the back entrance, she said.
"It was so annoying, that sometimes we would sneak in through the front
door in spite of the caution tape," she said.
The residents' main concern was the level of noise that could be heard throughout the day, she said. People complained about getting awakened at 7 o'clock every morning, she said.
It was most annoying in the mornings because of the noises that could be
heard, Charm Bullard, Westhampton area coordinator, said. Typically,
the construction started around 8 a.m., she said.
Freshman Emese Kardhordo from Budapest, who lived in the basement of Marsh Hall, was awakened at 7 a.m. for her 9 a.m. classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, she said in November.
"If I have a class at 8.30 a.m., I don't really care because I am up
anyway, but if I am up late studying and I am awakened early, it is not
good," she said. The noise was so loud that even having a conversation on
the telephone inside the room was difficult because you couldn’t hear
people on the other end of the line, she said.
Kaczmarek lived on the side of Marsh farthest away from
the Lakeview construction, but she still couldn’t open her bedroom windows
because of the noise, she said.
Residents of Wood Hall did not complain about the noise, Brittni
Parris, the Wood Hall RA, said just before Christmas break. She lived directly across from the construction and the noise didn’t really bother her, she said, unless she had pulled an all-nighter.
David O'Neal, an RA in Thomas Hall, said that he didn’t get any
comments about the construction or hear anyone discussing it. It was a
nuisance when the construction was particularly loud, he said.
The issue of noise was addressed as it came up, Bisese said. In 2006, the noise was a much bigger problem because the contractors were breaking through the rock to lay the foundations, he said.
A compromise was reached with the students during that time and the
construction was started later in the morning, he said, but it still didn't correct the problem for everyone.
Before the start of the fall semester, notices were issued to the residents of the nearby halls, he said. "Most of the noise was unavoidable," he said, "but we did work hard with the company involved to adjust the start
times."
The residents of Denis and Robins had the same issues during the early
stages of the construction of the Weinstein Center, he said, and those
issues where dealt with in the same manner.
"When you have new construction, you just have to move on as best you can because deadlines have to be met," Bisese said.
Residents were asking for details about the start and finish times of the
construction at the beginning of the semester, Bullard said. A meeting was held with the people concerned about the issue, she said.
It wasn’t just the early-morning noises that annoyed people, Kaczmarek
said. She couldn’t even take naps in the afternoon because of all the
constant activity outside, she said, and it got to the point where she
had to flee to the library.
There were men walking around outside and so the blinds had to be kept shut, freshman Kelly Tidwell said. It was uncomfortable with men
walking outside the windows all day, every day, she said.
The entrance closest to the construction site was closed off by a fence,
so in order to leave the dormitory on that side people had to go up a
flight of stairs to use another exit or go out the back and walk around,
she said.
The quickest route to the Westhampton side of campus is over the
bridge, Kaczmarek said, but there were so many trucks, bulldozers and
other heavy machinery around there. She felt as if she was getting in the
way, so she would walk the long way around, even when she was rushing to
class, she said.
The construction was not a safety concern, Bullard said. The
residents were mature and alert enough to walk around any items that may
have appeared dangerous, she said.
During the period before finals, the construction looked as if it would be an issue, Kaczmarek said. People like to study in their rooms and that was why there were study hours when everybody had to keep quiet and respect each other so that there was no need to look for quiet spots around campus, she said.
It was disturbing to have all of the construction work going on during the stressful time of finals, Kardhordo said. The issue with noise came up more during high exam stress times, Bisese said.
Residents near Lakeview did not get to have that quiet period for studying because of all the noise outside, Kaczmarek said. She thought people would have used the library, which was difficult during that period because it was so crowded, she said. Students realized that the noise was inevitable, Bisese said. They adjusted in their own ways, he said.