The South Office Annex is comin' down, baby - and those who had to work in it under next-to-torturous conditions are probably rejoicing.
After being constructed in the '40s and serving a long, asbestos-filled life, the building that houses the psychology clinic and clinical psychology faculty needed to be put to rest. A new one will be erected by summer 1998, and we'll all be the better for it.
Plus, there won't have to be mass evacuations or raincoat distribution when it starts to sprinkle.
Leaking, a sinking foundation and flooding are impossible conditions to work in. No employee anywhere should be subjected to that.
Furthermore, the clinic sees many people from all over the Houston area every day. The fact that visitors to the UH campus were subjected to dirty and inadequate buildings is simply embarrassing.
The building has never been cared for very well, and parts of it are even closed off. Maybe campus organizations could get together and host a big haunted house this coming Halloween as a sort of final farewell.
Creepy creatures are the only things that should inhabit this building, which maybe would have had a better life if better care was provided.
Also, any building with an asbestos problem should be condemned - period. No one, especially patients, should have to endure such a mess.
Seriously, asbestos is a serious problem, one that even I Love Lucy's Vitameatavegamin might not be a strong enough cure for.
Cramped quarters seem to be the least of the inhabitants' problems. A person can perhaps deal with a little cramped space. Possible sickness and constant dampness from leaks, though, is practically unendurable.
This building's end has been a long time coming. A new facility might cost a lot, but that's a relatively small price to pay for the health, safety and high morale of employees.