March 3, 2009: Letter to Lowell House Residents

I write to remind you that we are getting a new fire sprinkler system installed in the House this summer and that there is work taking place this spring in order to get the project done on time.

What does this mean for you?

1. Spring Work:   Contractors will be working (and creating noise) in the House between 3/18 and 5/14.  Please see below for a detailed schedule and background information.

2. Storage:   Storage dates and hours will not change.  Storage capacity will be slightly less than in past years, but will be little changed.  The best thing to do is to store your items early, rather than at the last minute.  Also, please respect the limits on the number of items per student.

3. Move Out:   Because of the shortened summer and the volume of work, there will be absolutely NO exceptions to the listed Move Out dates (5/24 at 12 noon for underclassmen; 6/5 at 5 PM for Seniors).

A brief summary of key dates/times and type of work is below:

For more details, please read on.

As the Masters wrote in December, the work has already begun in the House, with architects and contractors walking through the building to take measurements, pictures, etc.  This work will continue through the spring term.  On 3/18 and 3/19, the contractors will begin loading equipment into the House.

The real construction work will begin on the Friday before Spring Break (3/20/09), as contractors will be coring holes through the landings of the stairwells in order to install riser pipes that will eventually supply water to the sprinkler system.  This work is noisy and will be disruptive when it takes place in your entryway.  As we get closer to Spring Break I will provide a schedule so that you can anticipate when the work will be taking place in your entry.

Unfortunately, due to tight schedule constraints, the hours of work during the spring break, from Friday, 3/20/09 to Saturday, 3/28/09, will be 7 AM to 4 PM.  I know that these hours don't mesh well with your schedules.  We have scheduled this work during Spring Break in the hopes that many of you will be away.

After Spring Break, the coring work in the stairwells will be complete and the construction work will move to the basement.  This work involves intermittent drilling noise, as the workers install hangers in the ceiling and then affix the sprinkler pipes to the hangers.  While this work is not as disruptive as the coring work, it will likely be annoying (especially to those of you on the first and second floor) when it takes place below your entryway.  Like with the coring work, we will have a weekly schedule so that you can anticipate when there will be drilling work in your area.

The hours for the work after spring break are more student-friendly, with no drilling until 10 AM (though there will be some quieter work, such as painting or hanging pipes, starting at 8 AM).  The work will usually wrap up around 4 PM, but could go as late as 6 PM.  This phase of the project will last from 3/30/09 through 5/1/09.  There is no weekend work planned for this period.

During the reading period, 5/2/09 to 5/13/09, there may be some occasional drilling work under the dining hall (but not under occupied entryways) in the building.  Also, depending on their progress between Spring Break and Reading Period, the contractors may perform some quiet work in the basement (like painting and cleaning).  If at any point during the Reading Period, you are disturbed by noise, please let me know and I will have the contractors stop their activity.

There will be no work during the Exam Period, or Commencement Week (5/14/09 – 6/4/09).

We appreciate your support and patience as we undertake this project to improve student safety at Lowell House.


Bob

Bob Sammonds
Lowell House Building Manager
sammonds@fas