PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The University of Pikeville says design issues with its $40 million Coal Building could cost the university as much as $2.5 million to correct.
The Appalachian News-Express in Pikeville (http://bit.ly/ZEbfw0 ) reports the university has entered into arbitration with the architect, CMW, over the issue.
A statement from university President Paul Patton said the issues first became problematic during furniture installation, when officials found that the smaller lecture hall in the building was not useable because of inadequate spacing in the aisles.
The small lecture hall has not been used since the building first became occupied in the fall semester, and the structure's larger lecture hall is not in compliance with state building codes.
"If CMW had properly designed the lecture halls in the first place, there would have been no additional cost to construct lecture halls that met both the building code and the university's instructional requirements," Patton said.
An email sent to CMW in Lexington seeking comment was not returned Monday.
After discovering the problems, Patton said, the university asked CMW to address the situation and their suggestion was to put a balcony in each lecture hall to accommodate 140 students with adequate space in the configuration desired, a suggestion that was already rejected during the design phase.
"After eight months, CMW has failed to propose a solution to the lecture hall deficiencies that has been demonstrated to either meet building code requirements or meet the instructional needs of the University of Pikeville," Patton said in the statement.
However, because of the College of Osteopathic Medicine's class expansion due on campus in July, Patton said, the university has no choice but to install the balconies, and bids are currently being solicited, with the cost expected to be $2.5 million.
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Information from: Appalachian News-Express, http://www.news-expressky.com
