Dear Barnard Community,
Beginning next Monday, October 2, contractors will be starting work to make necessary repairs and restoration work at Brooks Hall Entry Portico, including repair of the underside, and front face of the structure, as well as replacing the orange roof tiles. A sidewalk shed has been placed in front of the building to help protect those using the entrance and additional scaffolding will be built from the top of the shed to third floor window levels for workers to access.
During pre-construction testing, asbestos was discovered in part of the roof so the scope of this project will also include a few weeks of localized abatement work; we expect the abatement work to finish in mid-October. This work will follow strict safety protocols in accordance with NYC Department of Buildings and Department of Environmental Protection regulations, and signage outlining the work will be in place. There will also be third party air monitoring on site that will perform air sampling and contractor oversight for the duration of asbestos abatement.
This work is scheduled for 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but we will not start any noisy work until 9 a.m. We anticipate the work will be completed by the end of this semester.
Students living on the lower floors of Brooks and in rooms in Reid and Hewitt Halls that are closest to Brooks should expect to occasionally see members of the construction team from their room windows. We recommend keeping your windows closed and blinds drawn during the day to prevent dust from entering your room. Some windows on the third floor of Brooks will be temporarily covered for protection at the beginning of the construction to comply with city agency requirements; the students in those rooms have been notified.
All existing building entrances will remain open throughout the work, but the Reid gate entrance to the Quad courtyard from Broadway will be closed. There will also be some fencing on the Broadway side of the Quad that will limit access to a portion of the Arthur Ross Courtyard. In addition, the contractor will have containers along Broadway, but those will not impact the sidewalk access.
As we have done in the past, we will communicate throughout the project and will monitor the work to make certain the noise and dust does not impact those who live and work in the Quad.
If you have questions about this work, please barnardbuilds@barnard.edu. Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience while we complete this important work to ensure our buildings remain beautiful and safe for our community. Thank you.
Thank you!
Barnard Builds