Three buildings at Catawba Valley Community College are in need of repairs.  Administration wants to act quickly before conditions worsen and costs go up.

The East Wing, the Environmental & Life Science Building and the Student Services Building need about $1 million repairs for structural damage.  The college has already completed $70,000 in initial repairs over the last year to protect the immediate safety of students and staff.

But it’s just a patch, it’s not a solution, CVCC President Garrett Hinshaw said.

On Monday he presented a request to the Catawba County Board of Commissioners for $1,046,665 to make the permanent repairs.

“This is something that has to be done,” Hinshaw said.

He said the first problems were identified in March of 2005 when it became noticeable that an interior wall of the Student Services Building was separating from the ceiling.  When the problem was examined closer, engineers found extensive corrosion where moisture was condensing in the walls rather than passing through, making it unstable, Hinshaw said.

A more thorough analysis of the campus’ other buildings was ordered immediately.  The building evaluation took six months, after which, administration learned the Environmental & Life Science Building and the East Wing had similar problems in their exterior walls.  

The East Wing had mortar damage between the bricks along the north wall and corrosion of steel connections and brick joints in several places.

Meanwhile, the Environmental & Life Science Building has several areas of significant corrosion along its south wall.

In a report completed by Sutton-Kennerly, an engineering and consultant firm based in Asheville, it stated the conditions of the Student Services building “represent a potential hazard to patrons of the building.”

“The student services is in the worst shape,” Hinshaw said.

He said about 200-300 students go in and out of the building every day in addition to another 100 daily visits to the campus bookstore.

Sutton-Kennerly suggested immediate repairs. Steel rods were inserted through the brick veneer of all three buildings, which stabilized their structural integrity. At best, it’s only a two-year fix, Hinshaw said.

He said there is no immediate risk to students or faculty since initial repairs were made.  However, he said it’s best to take care of the problem now before it becomes an immediate hazard to people and before construction costs go up even more.

“We don’t want a Band-Aid fix,” Wes Bunch, CVCC vice president of fiscal affairs, said.

The East Wing, where Challenger High School is located, is also of particular concern because the problem there lies with a load-bearing wall.  Hinshaw said the building will have to be evacuated to make the repairs.

Hinshaw said he would like to see work begin on the East Wing in late May or early June while the Challenger High School’s 300 students are on summer vacation.  He said that way the building could be repaired before the students return in the fall with an additional 100 students.

“We need to do it when we will have the lowest traffic on campus,” Hinshaw said.

Some work on the other two buildings would likely continue through the summer and into the fall, he said.

The North Carolina State Construction Office approved the million-dollar project after reviewing the information on the buildings and determining they are a life and safety issue that requires immediate attention.  Regardless, Hinshaw said the project will still go out for bid to be sure they have received an accurate cost estimate.

“We’re just trying to make sure our facilities are quality facilities that meet the needs of our students,” Hinshaw said.

The college is also preparing to initiate a building evaluation schedule where the building would be visually inspected every year with more detailed inspections every three years.  Any findings would be reported to administration and the CVCC Board of Trustees.

The student services building may get a face-lift in the process.

The cost of replacing all the brick has prompted CVCC to look into more cost effective methods of repairing the student services building.  Hinshaw said by replacing part of the exterior with metal panels appears to be less expensive than replacing the brick and he said it’s more attractive.  If final estimates prove that to be true, he said that is what they will do.

Catawba County Finance Director Rodney Miller informed commissioners that $8 million is available in the School/CVCC Capital Projects Fund.

The Catawba County Board of Commissioners is expected to make a decision on the appropriation of funds at their next meeting on Monday at the 1924 Courthouse in Newton at 9:30 a.m.