Lenoir Construction Nears Completion

Construction crews are replacing the gutter around the building and the outside architectural stones -- called coping stones -- that line the top of the building, said Ira Simon, a Carolina Dining Services administrator.

When the roof project initially began in fall 2001, workers removed broken slate to repair the leaks on the roof and discovered that water had seeped in to the rubber facing that holds the gutter to the coping stones, he said.

More stones were found that were damaged or broken when the gutter was removed, he said.

Simon said 65 percent of the 4-foot stones were cracked and needed to be replaced.

Subcontracted crews from Western Waterproofing of America are replacing the gutter and the stones.

Although the project is important for the building's maintenance, Simon said, the work is "purely cosmetic" to help maintain the architectural look of the building.

The gutter removal started in May and was supposed to have been finished July 15.

Because of a processing delay by the stone company, it took six weeks for the stones to be delivered.

Work resumed once the stones arrived at the beginning of September, Simon said.

The expected completion date is now Oct. 5.

Despite the delay, there shouldn't be any additional cost other than the cost of replacing the stones, Simon said.

As the project nears completion, some students say they weren't even aware of the scaffolding.

Sophomore Sarah Bobbe, an international studies major, said that she doesn't really notice the scaffolding and that it doesn't bother her.

"The scaffolding doesn't obstruct anything you do, it's just sort of ugly," she said as she sat a few feet from the orange safety barrier.

Ryan White, a senior chemistry major, said he was surprised that there was construction going on, because "the building looked fairly new."

White said he had some concerns about the safety of the scaffolding, but Simon said scaffolding is one of the safest means of finishing the work.

He said officials chose to use scaffolding on Lenoir because the University didn't want cranes lifting stones into the air.

Lenoir was built in the 1930s, and the gutter facing was last replaced in the 1980s.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.