Recent storms have brought attention to roof problems in Knobview and other buildings around the IUS campus.
There was a leak in the Knobview computer lab during the storms on Sept. 20.
“We have multiple leaking issues throughout some of the buildings, mostly in the older buildings,” James Wolfe, Physical Plant director, said.
Even though there was a noticeable leak in the Knobview computer lab, there was no damage.
“There wasn’t any damage done, there was a ceiling tile we had to take out and replace, but that was about it,” Wolfe said.
Before the storm, the Physical Plant was aware that there were some problems with the roof. There is a project planned to fix these problems.
“There are brick problems and there are roof problems,” Wolfe said, “and probably what caused that leak is they are changing the roof over in Knobview and getting ready to do a mason project.”
The Knobview lab was not the only place students had noticed water damage. There was also water damage in the Hoosier Room, but it was not due to the recent storms.
Tom Moore, assistant director of the Physical Plant, said there is a problem with a rooftop unit above the Hoosier Room. This unit serves as a heating and air conditioning unit for the building.
He said he thinks the rain did not cause the damage in the Hoosier Room, but the leaking unit might have something to do with it.
“I think that thing is just so old and funky it’s starting to leak,” Moore said. “That might be where some of those drips are coming from, but when the new one gets installed, I think we are going to be able to resolve that one permanently, but that’s a guess at this point.”
Moore said they have watched the roof during the recent rain, but have not been able to track where the leak is coming from.
Knobview and the Hoosier Room are not the only areas that have roof problems.
“Anytime you get 30 to 40 year-old buildings, there are going to be leaks,” Wolfe said.
There has been recent work done on some buildings, and plans are in the works to fix these problems.
“Life Science, Physical Science, Crestview – those are the ones you see have recently had work done on it not too long ago,” Wolfe said. “So, it’s in good shape. Most of the issues University Architect’s office is aware of, and they are on a list of projects to be taken care of.”
IU has an expert who looks at the roofs and buildings and figures out what work needs to be done.
“Under the Indiana University system we have a University Architect’s office. They work not only with Bloomington, but with all the regional campuses and help us,” Wolfe said. “They have a full-time roofing expert that goes around to all the IU buildings and will assess the condition. And then they kind of go through and assign priorities.”
The projects to fix these problems are very costly and will take some time.
“If you took all the buildings and looked at the roofs, we are talking millions of dollars. To do that kind of stuff it’s huge scale,” Moore said
Due to the current economic situation, there has been no extra money in the budget.
“Right now we are kind of in a real tight economic environment. The governor allowed no extra expenditures,” Moore said. “Bloomington and our chancellor have done a great job in trying to get the money to get these projects going.”
There is a certain procedure IU Southeast must follow to have these repairs done. Dana Wavle, vice chancellor of administrative affairs, gets a certain amount of money to spend on these kinds of projects.
Moore said there are certain monetary standards that must be followed before IU Southeast can begin repairs on its own.
“Anything over $50,000 has to go through Bloomington. Anything under $5,000 the individual department can work with our purchasing department here on campus. We can go out and get a quote and fix something,” he said.
Moore said there is a very strict and detailed procedure the school must follow. After bids have been placed, the school will normally go with the lowest quote.
Since a lot of buildings need work, it will take some time to complete all the projects. The Knobview building has been split up into three phases.
“By the time the roof projects are done, all the roofs will be new in Knobview and the Ogle Center, and the brick problems will be taken care of,” Wolfe said. “We are hoping that will take care of all the leaks over there.”
By KATHERINE PITTELKO
Staff Writer
Kpittelk@ius.edu