As a follow up to my message Thursday, I’m writing to confirm that, after multiple independent inspections yesterday, as well as meetings with the construction contractor responsible for the Wey Hall building renovation, the university’s facilities and Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Management teams have determined it is safe to resume classes in Wey Hall on Monday.
Specific safety measures that will be in place when classes resume in Wey Hall on Monday include:
- Drilling and other major infrastructure construction have been halted in all areas adjacent to occupied spaces in the building until after the end of the semester.
- Regular site reviews and safety inspections will continue through the end of the semester. These will take place, at a minimum, once each week.
- All concrete debris has been removed from the ceilings, and additional inspections and safety meetings will continue throughout the remainder of the week.
- The contractor has taken appropriate personnel actions to address the problem that happened over Spring Break. As a reminder, the concrete debris in the faculty member’s office was discovered upon returning from Spring Break, and no concrete debris fell into a classroom at any time.
I recognize that temporarily closing the building meant that you lost access to studio space, but it was necessary to ensure multiple inspections and to review the contractor’s updated safety plans before allowing full access to the building again. I will ask faculty to offer flexibility in deadlines, just as they do when facilities close due to inclement weather.
Interim Department Chair Joshua White and I will be in the building when classes begin at 8am Monday, and throughout the day, I’m eager and available to listen and look forward to seeing you soon.
As a reminder, if you ever have any university-related safety concerns, please report them at the website appsafety.appstate.edu.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Shannon Campbell
