Success!!!

After a 12 minute conversation with the incredibly nice Jeffery Lallas, The Director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, many questions have been answered.

First off, yes, construction will be modified during finals week!!!
Construction plans have been modified to restrict workers from activities such as jack hammering, sawing, and other concrete removal processes in the early morning hours. These actions are the main cause of noise pollution that students have been suffering from during this recent construction period. This is great news for those of us with finals at 8am.

The mystery behind the construction site in front of Randall Hall of last semester has also been revealed. This was the site that took up half of Neubig Rd. and was still open during Cortaca Weekend. Click here to see a video of the site. A steam pipe that heated nearly half of the campus had burst and needed to be repaired before the cold of winter set in. This project took over two months and cost about $450,000!!! Luckily, the situation was contained and the project was completed on time.

There have also been many other construction sites that have popped up over the year which are now behind us. Some of them were unplanned, but today, each of the three scheduled sites is still keeping pace to be completed on time.

A special thank you to Jeff Lallas for an incredibly pleasant phone call, and an understanding attitude. As he said "we were all students once"; an outlook that many other faculty and staff members here on campus should hold.
(Permission to post this information has been granted)

Progress!

Several concerns and comments have been voiced and made public here on the site. This helps bring awareness of the problem to campus faculty and construction site managers as well.
After a phone call with the Director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, it seems changes will be made. Check back later for highlights of the discussion.

Comments!!!

As you can see we are making progress, but we still need to hear from more students. Click "Comment" below to tell of your own personal experience with the construction on SUNY Cortland's campus!!!

A Quick Reply to the Email!

After sending the email to President Bitterbaum I received a very quick response. He notified me that he would be referring me (and my problem) to another associate. I then received the following email from Jeffery Lallas, The Director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction

"Our Facilities PDC office is responsible for all the construction projects going on and I am sorry that our office was not aware of the problem -- and am sorry if you and other students have been seriously negatively affected by the schedules.

We have three active construction sites on campus right now -- Fitz, Moffett, and CVH. The contractors on all three sites typically work 7:00 to 3:30 -- unless there is a need to start early or work late to avoid problems with and complaints from daytime staff and faculty. At first I was assuming your question was related to Fitz. We have recently removed the canopy (a lot of jack hammering) and we ran a compressor outside to clean up, but that work is complete, and I am sorry if this noise was the source of your problem. You also mention though that others have had problems -- not just campus residents -- so I'm not sure if you (they) are possibly having problems studying in the library or other locations during the days as well.

Either way, even though construction continues, we are always sensitive to exam period, and we also can sometimes accommodate short term requests as well when necessary. I would appreciate it if you give me a call so we can quickly target the problem and discuss possible solutions."

I was pleased to see that he cares about the students on campus so much. I will be calling him tomorrow to discuss plans.

Keep Telling Your Stories!

Please click "Comment" below this post to add your story!

Email to President Bitterbaum

The following is a copy of an email that was sent to President Erik J. Bitterbaum:


"Dear President Bitterbaum,
I am writing to you concerning an ongoing nuisance at SUNY Cortland's campus: the several construction sites that have been disrupting campus for the entire year. I know there have been articles published in The Dragon Chronicle discussing this issue, yet no positive changes have been made. I have created a website that allows students to voice their opinion on this subject. It is www.SUNYCortland.BlogSpot.com. The ultimate goal that I have in mind is the temporary suspension of disruptive and possibly grade altering construction sites during finals week.
This upcoming finals week is very important for all students, both those living on campus and those commuting. The main problem with the construction sites is the early morning noise that constantly disrupts students sleeping in near by residence halls. I am writing to ask if it is possible to have the construction sites be more sensitive of their surroundings for this upcoming week which is vital for students, by reducing the hours they are working to allow a better setting for studying.
Thank you for your time and consideration."

Tell Your Story!

This blog has been created to hear testimonies, stories, and personal interactions with construction sites on SUNY Cortland's campus. Students are late for class due to the construction, it has disrupted sleep patterns, and is even affecting breathing in some buildings. Please tell your story by adding a comment to this post.