SEPTEMBER
      27,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      @
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rob
      Walker
     
     
      Copy
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      new
      residence
      currently
     
     
      under
      construction,
      which
      is
      now
      almost
     
     
      five
      months
      behind
      schedule,
      is
      almost
     
     
      complete
      says
      the
      general
      manager
      of
     
     
      residence,
      food
      and
      conference
     
     
      services
      Mark
      Braithwaite.
     
     
      Construction
      of
      the
      new
      residence
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      be
      finished
      in
      late
      October
      with
      a
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      move-in
      date
      for
      students
      set
      for
      the
     
     
      January
      semester.
     
    

    
     
      As
      everyone
      who
      has
      eyes
      is
     
     
      probably
      aware,
      the
      new
      residence,
     
     
      which
      was
      scheduled
      to
      be
      open
      in
      June
     
     
      of
      this
      year,
      is
      still
      under
      construction.
     
     
      Many
      students
      were
      left
      looking
      for
      a
     
     
      place
      to
      live
      in
      August
      when
      they
      were
     
     
      informed
      it
      would
      not
      be
      ready.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      end
      date
      has
      changed
     
     
      several
      times
      along
      the
      way
      with
     
     
      regards
      to
      the
      new
      residence
      and
      I
     
     
      guess
      from
      the
      very
      beginning
      when
      we
     
     
      went
      out
      to
      tender,
      the
      contractor
     
     
      Maxim
      Construction
      Ltd.
      gave
      the
     
     
      university
      a
      June
      30,
      2005
      completion
     
     
      date,”
      said
      Braithwaite.
      “As
      the
      project
     
     
      got
      underway
      that
      completion
      date
     
     
      moved,
      it
      slipped
      into
      July,
      then
      it
     
     
      slipped
      into
      August,
      it
      has
      now
      slipped
     
     
      into
      Oct.
      28"
      as
      the
      date
      that
      the
     
     
      construction
      company
      has
      said
      they
     
     
      would
      turn
      the
      property
      over
      to
      the
     
     
      university.”
     
    

    
     
      -
      Braithwaite
      says
      there
      are
     
     
      several
      reasons
      for
      the
      delay,
      none
      of
     
     
      which
      have
      to
      do
      with
      the
      university,
     
     
      but
      with
      the
      contractor.
      However,
      the
     
     
      university
      chose
      the
      contractor
      based
     
     
      on
      what
      is
      now
      admitted
      to
      have
      been
     
     
      a
      very
      aggressive
      construction
     
     
      schedule.
     
    

    
     
      “You
      have
      to
      keep
      in
      mind,
      it’s
     
     
      not
      a
      university-managed
      project,
      it’s
      a
     
     
      Maxim
      Construction
      Ltd.-managed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Residence
      Ready
      for
      Jan.
      Semester:
     
     
      Residence
      Services
     
    
   
   
    
     
      project,”
      said
      Braithwaite.
      “They
      went
     
     
      into
      the
      ground
      at
      the
      start
      of
      Sept.
     
     
      [2004]
      and
      to
      have
      the
      building
     
     
      completed
      for
      students
      at
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      June
      [2005]
      was
      very
      optimistic.
      Even
     
     
      to
      have
      it
      ready
      for
      the
      first
      of
     
     
      September
      was
      probably
      optimistic.”
     
    

    
     
      Another
      reason
      for
      the
      delay
     
     
      was
      the
      improper
      installation
      of
      a
      self-
     
     
      leveling
      concrete
      flooring
      material
      which
     
     
      had
      to
      be
      removed
      and
      redone.
     
    

    
     
      “That
      added
      a
      significant
     
     
      amount
      of
     
     
      time
      to
      the
     
     
      project,
     
     
      certainly
      all
     
     
      the
      other
     
     
      trades
      had
      to
     
     
      wait
      while
      the
     
     
      flooring
      was
     
     
      DC
      i
      ne
     
     
      installed,”
     
     
      $a
      16
     
     
      Braithwaite.
     
     
      “But
      when
      it
     
     
      had
      to
      be
     
     
      removed
      all
     
     
      the
      other
     
     
      trades
      had
      to
     
     
      back
      off
      again.
      So
      that
      delayed
      the
     
     
      project.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      third
      reason
      is
      according
     
     
      to
      Maxim
      Construction
      Ltd.,
      there
      has
     
     
      been
      a
      challenge
      getting
      skilled
     
     
      tradespeople
      to
      work
      on
      the
      project.
     
     
      The
      official
      date
      from
      Maxim
      for
      the
     
     
      project
      to
      be
      turned
      over
      to
      the
     
     
      university
      is
      October
      28.
      This
      does
      not
     
     
      mean
      it
      will
      be
      open
      on
      that
      date,
     
     
      because
      the
      university
      needs
     
     
      approximately
      3-4
      weeks
      to
      move
      in
     
     
      furniture,
      draperies
      and
      all
      the
      other
     
     
      finishings
      needed
      for
      students.
      This
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      probably
      push
      it
      into
      the
      month
      of
     
     
      November
      and
      students
      should
      expect
     
     
      to
      move
      in
      for
      January.
     
    

    
     
      The
      new
      residence
      was
     
     
      supposed
      to
      be
      home
      to
      158
      students
     
     
      this
      semester
      and
      the
      university
      had
      to
     
     
      make
      arrangements
      to
      put
      those
     
     
      students
      elsewhere,
      says
      Braithwaite.
     
    

    
     
      “Even
      though
      we
      had
      dates
      that
     
     
      were
      optimistic,
      I
      think
      we
      had
      to
      have
     
     
      contingency
      plans
      in
      place
      with
     
     
      residence
      to
      deal
      with
      the
      ‘what
      if’,”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      said
      Braithwaite.
      “What
      if
      its
      not
     
     
      ready’
      and
      we
      then
      made
      the
      decision
     
     
      to
      acquire
      on
      a
      rental
      basis
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      townhouses
      across
      the
      street
      from
      the
     
     
      university
      at
      browns
      court
      and
      housed
     
     
      students
      in
      there.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We
      were
      expected
      to
     
     
      decommission
      Marion
      hall,
      the
      men’s
     
     
      residence,
      at
      the
      end
      of
      the
      summer
      and
     
     
      we
      were
      given
      the
      authority
      to
      keep
     
     
      that
      building
      open
      for
      the
      first
      semester
     
     
      so
      that
      we
      could
      house
      students
      in
     
     
      there.
      And
      at
      that
      point
      we
      were
      then
     
    
   
   
    
     
      up
      to
      housing
      another
      80-90
      students
      ©
     
     
      in
      those
      two
      options
      and
      we
      spread
      the
     
     
      remainder
      out
      across
      Bernadine
      and
     
     
      Blanchard
      hall.
      There
      were
      some
     
     
      people
      who
      probably
      applied
      late
      to
     
     
      residence
      that
      didn’t
      get
      into
      residence
     
     
      because
      at
      that
      point
      it
      became
      full.
      So
     
     
      we
      have
      a
      full
      house
      on
      campus.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      university
      is
      also
     
     
      experiencing
      a
      financial
      shortfall
      this
     
     
      semester
      because
      of
      the
      late
      opening.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      university
      itself,
      we’ve
     
     
      obviously
      incurred
      some
      financial
     
     
      shortfalls
      because
      of
      this,”
      said
     
     
      Braithwaite.
      “We
      haven’t
      got
      as
      many
     
     
      students
      in
      the
      residence
      system
      as
      we
     
     
      expected
      to
      have.
      There
      were
      people
     
     
      who
      either
      decided
      not
      to
      move
      into
     
     
      residence
      because
      we
      had
      to
      turn
      them
     
     
      away
      because
      our
      inventory
      was
      full
      or
     
     
      there
      was
      students
      who
      decided
      not
      to
     
     
      take
      the
      residence
      option
      because
      the
     
     
      new
      residence
      wasn’t
      ready
      and
      that’s
     
     
      all
      they
      wanted.”
     
    

    
     
      “We
      also
      have
      some
      contractual
     
     
      obligations
      with
      our
      food
      service
      that
     
     
      we
      would
      have
      minimum
      numbers
      on
     
     
      the
      meal
      plan
      programs
      and
      we
      haven’t
     
     
      met
      those
      minimum
      numbers
      because
     
     
      the
      new
      residence
      is
      not
      open.
      So
     
     
      there’s
      some
      financial
      penalties
      there
     
     
      for
      the
      university
      because
      of
      that.
      None
     
     
      that
      are
      expected
      to
      be
      then
      turned
     
     
      around
      on
      the
      backs
      of
      students
     
     
      because
      of
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      Whether
      Maxim
      Construction
     
     
      Ltd.
      will
      be
      paying
      any
      of
      this
      shortfall
      —
     
     
      remains
      to
      be
      seen
      and
      Braithwaite
      says
     
     
      they
      won’t
      know
      for
      sure
      until
      at
      least
     
     
      October
      28,
      the
      alleged
      completion
     
     
      date.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      on
      page
      19