It’s been over eight months and scaffolding still surrounds West & Wright, an apartment complex geared toward students in downtown Auburn.
The scaffolding was put up in early December after reports of loose bricks in the building, located at 201 W. Glenn Ave., according to a press release from the City of Auburn were made.
The City requires that the scaffolding be up while repairs are performed as a protective measure to secure the loose bricks.
The repairs are intended to fix cosmetic issues with exterior bricks on the building, a spokesperson for Campus Advantage said in a statement to The Plainsman.
“After working with our engineering firm and the City of Auburn to thoroughly inspect and assess the repair work that needs to be done to the cosmetic issue with the exterior bricks on the West & Wright building,” the spokesperson said. “We developed a plan and timeline for the repairs that will occur to the building.”
Most of the repair work will be centered around the upper floors of the building. The existing brick bands will be replaced.
Campus Advantage expects to begin repair work on the bricks in mid-October. The company expects repairs on the building formerly known as Evolve to be completed by mid-March, the spokesperson said.
“The scaffolding will be removed in phases as work is completed on each side of the building,” the spokesperson said.
When Campus Advantage received reports of sightings of cracks in a few bricks on property in late 2018, the company began working with the City and the property’s builders, CA Student Living, to assess the damage and create a plan of action.
The company worked with an engineering firm to figure out what the next steps were, take the project out to bid and select a firm to perform the repairs. Campus Advantage selected a local firm to take on the repairs.
“While we understand this is taking some time, we wanted to ensure that our work with the engineering firm and the City of Auburn, and the inspection of the building, was thorough in order to determine and outline the repair work that needed to be done,” the spokesperson said.
Campus Advantage is working to minimize impacts the repair work will have on residents and retailers in the building, the spokesperson said.
Ally Ruch, sophomore in biomedical sciences, has been a resident of West & Wright for over a year.
Over the summer, residents received an email from West & Wright about the scaffolding. In the email, the property management company stressed that the building is safe. They also gave more information on when repairs would begin, Ruch said.
“The scaffolding doesn’t bother me too much,” Ruch said. “The narrow sidewalk is of course not optimal, but it’s not that big of a deal to me. I haven’t had this experience, but my roommates have complained that delivery drivers have trouble finding the building because the scaffolding gets in the way of the signage.”
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Elizabeth, senior in journalism and political science, is the community editor for The Plainsman
