By Michelle Snider

Construction blockades of yellow tape and chain link fences greeted students and faculty alike as the fall semester opened.

The construction began in the first week of summer and is running past the original completion date Aug. 20. According to Amy Marshall who is the director of facilities and college operations at Laney, the construction work will last until October 15.

Laney student Darien Ordonez had some trouble finding the building his class is in, and the blocking of the building’s entryway made it more difficult.

“A warning would have been nice about the construction, he said. “I didn’t know certain areas were blocked off. But what are you going to do?”

Laney student Greg Lowrie is an ASLC senator who joined student government to raise awareness of the difficulties navigating the campus for students with disabilities.

“What people don’t understand is people who are in wheelchairs have less stamina, especially for Laney which has one of the biggest campuses,” he said.

Lowrie said he was aware before his summer classes started that there would be construction that would require more time needed to get to his classes, but one of his classrooms had changed location without his being notification.

According to Marshall, the construction is necessary to stop water leaks and damage that has affected the bottom floors of many classrooms across the campus. The large plant areas in the center of the second-floor buildings were leaking into classrooms.

“All of these areas were leaking really badly,” she said.

The ground floor Technology Center in F building has had a plastic tarp covering the ceilings and hoses running down into sizeable gray trash cans since last year. Marshall says that within a few weeks, those tarps will be removed.

The B building, housing the Writing Center, was the first to have waterproofing done. After months of successful testing of the first area, plans were made to remove the remaining plant areas in other buildings.

“All of the water testings has been completed, and we know that the decks won’t leak,” Marshall said. “We just have to do power pressure testing for water pipes.”

Laney’s campus was first built and opened in 1970–1971 according to the Laney.edu archives. Marshall said there has been continued maintenance of the campus over the years but has never had substantial infrastructure replacements.

Laney English instructor Shari Weiss did not know about the construction despite her teaching classes over the summer for six weeks, Mondays through Thursdays. She said there was no effect on her ability to prepare for class.

“It was just a royal inconvenience to have it go on so long. Especially when no work seems to be happening when I am around,” she said.

Other updates are in the works, Marshall said, like new elevators for the Tower building. She is working on getting a contract to replace the library elevator as well, which she estimates to be completed within 17 weeks after a contract is in place. The contract will be brought up at the next PCCD board meeting for approval.

In the meantime, library staff is making as many accommodations as possible for disabled persons to have access to the Library basement and upper-level books.

Marshall also said Laney’s Public Information Officer, Maxinne Bernal, is working on improving communications for faculty and staff. She pointed out the new text messages being sent by Laney as a more effective method of communicating with students and staff in the future.