Spring Break
Say goodbye to moldy dorms
Derek Simons
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News
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"They will be nice facilities at a reasonable cost," Chancellor Guy Bailey said. "It's going to be a great amenity for our students."
The new $17 million four-story residence hall will be modeled after the Oak Street Residence Hall and is part of the university's overall plan to increase campus housing in both capacity and quality.
It was designed by Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis, the same firm that designed Flarsheim Hall.
Each "semi-suite" will have space for either two double-occupancy or four single-occupancy rooms. The semi-suites have two access doors and one bathroom each. There are two study areas, two social lounges and a kitchen area on each floor. There will also be music practice rooms and a classroom in the basement.
The problems with mold at Cherry Street Hall have been going on for years, according to Vice Chancellor Bob Simmons, director of Campus Facilities and Management.
He said it's a natural occurrence, particularly in old stone houses with foundations in the earth, and just something you have to manage.
"Mold is something to which people react differently," Simmons said. "So if they're feeling health effects, then they're moved to a different room. And one of the things they've done this year to deal with the issue in Cherry is they've actually left more rooms unassigned so they would have places to move people to."
Mold can feed on anything, but basically it needs moisture. Opening windows on hot, humid days with the air conditioning on creates condensation.
"We have stickers in the rooms that say, 'Stop - don't open these windows,' but people still do what they want to do," Simmons said. "So we deal with it. We do air sampling. We go in, eliminate the mold, find the water sources and get things cleaned up."
Construction on Phase II of the Oak Street West Development will begin in summer 2008. The building received its final approval at the University of Missouri Board of Curators meeting Oct. 5 in Columbia. The various neighborhood councils in the area surrounding the UMKC Volker campus also approved the design plans.
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