Mayer Hall to close for renovations next year

As many undergraduates begin the process of deciding where they want to live next year, residents of Mayer Hall are finding themselves without much choice. They will be unable to live in the building next fall as it will be undergoing major repairs from the beginning of August through January 1. Mayer Hall, home primarily to married graduate students and families, will re-open for the 1996 spring semester. The residents will be relocated to Harnwell House and the Graduate Towers for next year's fall semester, Department of Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said yesterday. The repairs include upgrading the elevators and the elevator control system. In addition, the department plans to install smoke detectors in all bedrooms. Currently, only common rooms and lounges have smoke detectors. Maintenance employees will also replace the trash compactor, hot water heater and air handler, Residential Maintenance Director Lynn Horner said. The air handler, which controls air pressure throughout the building, is "definitely at the end of its useful life," Horner said, adding that the building's hot water heater is in a similar condition. In addition to these repairs, Residential Maintenance will also paint and redecorate parts of the building. Simeone said she hoped residents would be pleased with the overhaul. "I am sure it will make the Mayer community happy," she said. Those students and families who planned to live in Mayer next year will either live on the sixth floor of High Rise East or in available apartments in the Graduate Towers, Simeone said. Simeone said students currently living in the apartments that will be offered to Mayer residents have already been notified and found alternatives to retaining their rooms. Wharton graduate student Parameswar Sreekanth said he and his wife decided to live off-campus next year, although they would have liked to stay in Mayer. "It's convenient and close to where my classes are," Sreekanth said. "But you have to close down certain buildings to do some work for the safety of the residents." According to Horner, the project was originally going to span an entire academic year. But after rescheduling and overlapping certain projects, the department will finish the entire job before the spring semester begins, Horner added. "Because the elevator won't be available, there may be logistical problems," she said, adding that the department originally hoped to complete the elevator upgrade separately from the other maintenance work. Sreekanth said he has not yet decided whether to move back into Mayer Hall after the maintenance is completed. The elevator repairs alone will cost the University $116,000, Horner said. The other projects as a whole will add an extra $70,000 to the final total. The Mayer Hall maintenance is part of the current five-year capital plan for the residences.