Cokesbury Court Apartment residents have new roofs after a week’s worth of construction.
Work on the roofs began on Oct. 31 and ended last week, though the repairs were for damage sustained in April.
Mark Chaszar, Cokesbury general manager, said crews were working to repair roof damage caused by a storm. The storm happened in April,when the winds hit about 80 mph and blew the soccer bleachers onto nearby homes.
“We suffered enough damage that it hit every single roof,” Chaszar said.
The construction took longer, he said, because of the work he and his office had to do with the insurance company.
A contractor came to look at the damage, which involved several damaged shingles as well as the structure underneath. Officials spoke with insurance companies to decide the best approach after that.
The estimated cost of the damage was $460,000, Chaszar said. It didn’t cost the university anything since Cokesbury is owned by a third party.
Construction began after supplies were delivered at the end of October. Crews worked from 8 a.m. to sundown daily to finish the work as quickly as possible, Chaszar said.
Some students expressed frustration with the process, reporting falling debris, little parking availability and loud noises.
Kathryn Sugianto, business administration sophomore and Cokesbury resident, said she was hit by some falling debris.
“It’s concerning that I literally left my apartment, and there’s chunks of the roof falling,” Sugianto said.
Crews had to place wood pallets on certain spots to stop students from parking in unsafe spaces, Chaszar said.
“When we put cones, students will move the cones and park their car,” he said.
Workers used a magnetic machine to pick up nails and debris to prevent injuries or car damage, Chaszar said.
Despite the precautions, Chaszar said he noticed some safety concerns.
“Everywhere I walk I see a shingle on the ground or something that’s fallen off, and it’s like ‘can we get these guys to hurry up?’” he said. “I expressed multiple times there are some safety concerns that if they don’t get this crap done, something’s going to happen.”
Emily Diaz, acting senior and Cokesbury resident, said she’s confused about why construction didn’t happen in the summer.
“I’m still flabbergasted that it took this long from a storm this year,” she said.
Kelly Pan, nursing junior and Cokesbury resident, said the construction annoyed her, but the workers were polite.
“The workers are really nice,” Pan said. “At the same time, though, I don’t understand why they’re doing it.”
Devin Murphy, administrative assistant for housing and residence life, said she wanted the construction to be done sooner.
“We tried to have it done in the summer, but, unfortunately, it didn’t go according to plan,” Murphy said.
Murphy said RAs sent out emails to their residents.
“If students were surprised, I’m hoping that they checked their student email,” she said.
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