Roof replacement to end soon

COLTON HIGHTOWER
News Writing Student

The pounding of hammers and the buzzing of drills overhead will soon fade away as the Main Building roof replacement project comes to an end before Halloween, said Larry Barnes, campus construction project manager.

Barnes said a 35-year-old segment of the college’s signature red roofing will be brand new once construction workers abandon their perch on top of the building and move on to their next job.

Due to weakening of existing joints and problems with leaking, he said, the decision was made to replace both halves of the roof on the Main Building and the terminating bottom splash.

The roof had a projected life expectancy of about 25 years, Barnes said.

He said “a fair amount of leaks” dictated the job had to be done.

The cost of replacing the roof was about a quarter of a million dollars, Barnes said.

The main problems occurred where the slanted roof ends at the bottom and meets the building.

Due to the aging connection between the roof and the building, leaks were occurring, he said.

Zachary Eads, an OCCC student, said construction workers seemed to be considerate when making noise.

“The construction was spaced out enough that I never heard hammering in the same class twice,” Eads said, but he admitted the noise was distracting.

“When it was going on during class, it did make me want to check my Facebook and pay attention a little less.”

Barnes said those on the top floors of the building may have been bothered by the noise caused by the roof work.

On the other hand, the leaks eventually would have caused massive damage to classrooms and resulted in a more intrusive disturbance for all.