Step back: Code violations delay Old Main, Teacher Ed opening

There is a delay for The Beverley Taylor Sorenson College of Education & Human Development moving into Old Main because of construction difficulties.

SUU President Michael T. Benson said a building inspector determined there were problems which would have to be fixed before Old Main could be used.

"The inspectors came in and ruled the stairs in Old Main are a half inch too (shallow)," he said.

Nolan Truman, SUU construction services manager, said the problem was that the stair tread was not deep enough.

Benson said the inspector said the only way to rectify the problem would be to tear out all the stairs.

"We said, not only is that not acceptable, it will push us back even farther," he said.

SUU hired a consultant from the East Coast to come to see if there was another possible solution for the stairs, Benson said.

A solution was formed and the stairs are still being repaired, Truman said.

David F. Tanner, facilities management associate vice-president, said there are complications when renovating a historical building.

"They tried to meet all the historical aspects of the building, and the historical aspects and the current code don't always match up very well," Tanner said.

SUU should receive the certification of occupancy from the state and fire marshal Jan. 17, Tanner said.

After receiving the certification of occupancy, the College of Education should be able to start moving in at the beginning of February.

Prent Klag, dean of the College of Education, said the construction delay will not affect where education classes will be located.

Klag said the students should receive at least a week's notice before moving into Old Main.

The education faculty and staff will move into Old Main sometime after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, he said.

Once the faculty and staff move into Old Main, it will be important to know whether the computers, phones and other technology work, Klag said.

"We will probably need a week or so to get in there and see if everything functions," he said.

Klag compared the anticipation of moving into Old Main as the same feeling of moving into a new house.

"You are excited and want to get in there, but you want to make sure everything is functional," he said.

Along with the College of Education, the Advancement Office will relocate to the ground floor, Benson said.

"It is a significant move for them and for us because it is a better space for them," Benson said. "I want a potential donor to be able to walk into Old Main and get a sense for our campus and the sense of the history of the building."

Truman said the reconstruction has gone well.

"It is a beautiful building and I think everyone will be very pleased with it," he said. "There have been some challenges just because it is an old building and we are trying to make it seismically stable, and we have done that."

When finished, Old Main will have murals painted to depict the history of the building, Tanner said.

"There will also be framed art displays of some of the original teachers who taught in that building," he said. "There has been an art committee put together and they have done a superb job."

Along with the art there will also be a touch- screen monitor installed in the building, Tanner said.

"It will be able to share data and information about the building, some history and things that have taken place," he said.