ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050057
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY GENE
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
As soon as the political smoke signals went up, Virginia Tech administrators say they got to work.
That means within two weeks an engineer should be hired to design sprinkler systems for five high-rise dormitories unequipped with the fire safety devices.
"We are fast tracking this as quickly as we can," said Ann Spencer, Tech's associate vice president for administrative services.
According to Minnis Ridenour, the university's executive vice president, planners sat down weeks ago to start mapping out how to install the devices. Gov. George Allen called sprinkler installation "an urgent and critical need" at campuses around the state after The Associated Press first reported the dearth of sprinkler systems in older high rise dorms late last year.
Students likely will be picking up the $5.6 million-plus tab for the project. State policy long has dictated that students pay living-related college expenses, Ridenour said. The expense likely will be added to students' comprehensive fees gradually during the years the dorms are being retrofitted.
Fire codes during the '60s - when the Tech dorms in question were built - did not require sprinkler systems.
However, Tech has one of the largest dorm systems in the country, and, with five of the 13 state dorms cited, far more than any other state campus. Thus, it's operating on a slower installation schedule than the sprinkled-by-summer plans announced by several schools last month.
Tentatively, Tech hopes to install sprinkler systems in the smallest of the dorms this summer. That's O'Shaughnessy Hall, with 355 beds. In the summer of '98 would come work to Pritchard Hall (1,024 beds) and Slusher Hall - popularly called Slusher Tower - which has 635 beds. Finally in the summer of '99 would come work at Ambler Johnston Hall (1,303 beds) and Lee Hall (824 beds).
The staggered schedule works around summer programs ranging from sports camps to Future Farmers of American gatherings that crowd the residence halls in summer, according to administrators.
The schedule's also just a matter of reality.
"It's a huge engineering job," Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said. "There's no way we can take off line that much square footage in the dormitories. That comprises a significant percentage - 45-50 percent - of our dormitory space."
Meanwhile, neighboring Radford University will fully install sprinklers in 13-story Muse Hall by August 1998. Unlike Tech, the university will dip into its reserve coffers to come up with the estimated $1.2 million cost.
"The plan is to start some of the work this June," said spokesman Rob Tucker.
The work will proceed in phases, because dorm rooms must be empty.
"With Muse Hall being the largest high-rise in the state that doesn't have sprinkler systems, it obviously will take more time to complete the project," Tucker said.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB