The Auburn Board of Trustees has approved plans to demolish Parker Hall and Allison Laboratory as well as the construction of a new lab complex and classroom hall, which will be called academic classroom and laboratory complex.
The University plans to make the new classrooms and laboratories state-of-the-art. Currently, the University is beginning the process of selecting architectural plans and project management firms.
While a demolition date has not been set, the new classrooms and labs are set to be ready in 2018.
We applaud the University for taking the first steps to improving classrooms with the destruction of Parker and Allison.
Parker and Allison, each built around the 1960s, are in serious disrepair.
At times, when it would rain, the ground floor of Parker would flood.
The Office of Information and Technology moved some offices from Parker into a new building, in part, because of the flooding.
The building itself was built on unstable ground and has begun to sink.
We will not miss sitting in the dingy lighting of a poorly ventilated classroom.
As the University readies itself to make these changes, they should look forward to further improvements on buildings around campus.
We recognize that demolition is not always the answer, and at times, refurbishing or a simple paint job is all a building needs.
Asbestos and mold are problems bigger than a paint job, but both can be fixed without demolition.
With Parker and Allison, however, the buildings are so old and damaged that demolition is the only option.
While Haley Center will be a massive project because of it’s size, location and number of classrooms and offices inside, needs construction work badly.
We have seen classrooms in Haley that has been taped off with plastic coverings as workers pass through in hazmat suits to clean out asbestos.
The Hill dorms, as well, have mold and need more renovation.
According to the Auburn Villager, the Hill was last renovated more than 20 years ago.
Plans to renovate the Hill have been set to happen in four sections each taking approximately one year to complete, but only funding for the first section has been secured.
Staff members who lived in the Hill dorms have seen visible mold growing in between the heaters and in the bathrooms.
In comparison to the new South Donahue dorms and the Village complex, the Hill looks like a set from a horror movie.
The University has approved plans to demolish arguably the worst buildings on campus, and we consider this a great advancement, but they should not stop the construction and improvements around campus.
This is just the first step towards improvement.
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