by Al Greenwood
Senior Staff Writer
Because of late supplies and a bankrupt subcontractor, the residents of the North Tower in the Moody Towers complex still don't know when fire-sprinkler installation will end.
Recently, several residents received notices asking them to empty their closets so workers could install metal sheathing.
However, some residents said they emptied their closets and the workers never showed up.
Senior mechanical engineering major James Bernard said he has emptied his closet at least six different times.
"I really don't have place to store my things, so I have to pile everything on my bed," he said.
So far, the project has taken an extra month to complete. The general contractor, Rawlins Construction Inc., will not be charged late penalties.
Adam Miller, the vice president of the Towers Hall Council at the North Tower, said although the subcontractor, Lone Star Automatic Fire Sprinklers Inc., went bankrupt three weeks ago, overdue soffitting stalled the project.
Soffitting is the metal sheathing that hides the sprinkler pipes.
"This soffitting work just ate our lunch," said Gary Crosby, the project coordinator in facilities, planning and construction at the University of Houston System. "A lot of it was custom-ordered, especially in the room areas."
Even if UH or the contractors had experience installing soffitting, Crosby said the work would still continue through April.
The original deadline was Feb. 28. It was later bumped to March 7.
Since last semester, workers have entered residents' rooms to install fire alarms and fire sprinklers.
"I wish they would just get it done as soon as possible," said John Park, a senior accounting major.
Because of drilling, Park said, "I've been having to go to the library to study." Park said he paid extra to live on a 24-hour quiet floor in the Towers.
The Towers Hall Council demanded compensation for the delay in a resolution Feb. 11. The resolution cites that residents deserve the compensation because of "excessive noise, dust and lack of respect for the privacy of the residents."
Fall 1996 residents have already received $50 extra on their board cards as compensation for the sprinkler installation.