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Volume 71, Issue 99,
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
News UC gets needed repairs, facelift Foundation, structure problems to be fixed in $694,000 project by CASEY WOOTEN
Beginning this semester, University Center officials and Houston-based contracting company Dura Pier have taken on the project of renovating the UC's foundation system in an effort to repair major cracks and other structural problems. Cracks in the UC's foundation have been developing for more than two years. The project is estimated to cost the University $694,000. Repairs should be complete in late April, Keith Kowalka, director of the UC and associated facilities, said.
The University Center is undergoing construction to repair leaky pipes and a cracking foundation. The repairs will cost an estimated $694,000 and are paid for primarily by student fees. Photo courtesy of Dura Pier Inc. Construction costs are primarily funded by student UC fees. Because the UC is allotted a fixed percentage of student fees each fiscal year, the Student Government Association had to approve an increase in student fees in October 2005 to fund the foundation repair project. Students walking by the southwestern corner of the UC next to University Drive might have noticed the large metal fencing put up around the sides of the building and the sound of construction machines digging into the ground. "They're digging down 60 to 80 feet under the building," Kowalka said. "In essence, they are going to put epoxy all up and down the south side of the building that will force the lower portion of the building to stabilize." In addition to the foundation, contractors are repairing plumbing on the bottom floor of the UC that is believed to be the root of many structural problems with the southwest corner of the building. "There was actually a pipe that's been semi-cracked for some period that's been having some water seepage going into the foundation," Kowalka said. "Therein lies why we perceive the southwestern stairway to be sinking," he said. Two-inch-wide cracks run down the inside walls of the southwestern stairwell. "These are the kind of things that a lot of students don't see," Kowalka said. The UC, built in 1967, is the largest student union building in Texas but does not receive as much funding as other peer institutions provide their facilities. As a result of the funding increases last year, UC officials have been able to set a long-term plan in motion to revamp the building foundation and interior. Despite the much-needed repairs, the UC has been relatively well maintained for a 39-year-old building, Kowalka said. The repairs are mostly structural with a few aesthetic projects such as replacing glass mosaic tiles and filling visibly open joints on the UC's main level. Repairs are also scheduled for exposed steel reinforcement beams. UC officials also plan to remove damaged concrete around the steps at the southern entrance and re-grout and install a bonding agent on the surface to level it. Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu |
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