Don’t Fence Me In–Or Do
Today the construction crew finished the fence around much of the south side of the building. All of the entrances to the building from the courtyard are now gone. This is the real first step in a long process that will lead us to a very good place. But there are many steps between us and the end of the journey. The construction process will hold many surprises. This blog will keep you posted on what we know and when we know it. Take a deep breath, it begins.
We sent a long e-mail to students yesterday. It was an update on issues related to bicycle parking (high hopes), motorcycle parking (some actual help–see the link at the end of this posting), lockers (distributed) and the soon to expire ‘book check’ system in the Law Library. In the rush to get information to you, conflicting dates for the wrap-up of the ‘book check’ system were given. This Friday, October 17, is the right day. By then you should have cleared your materials out of the bins.
Here is the link for a map of motorcycle parking near the law school
Enjoy the warm weather.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Are there any ADA compliance issues with this plan, since the principal wheelchair-accessible entrances on the main floor are now blocked off?
Similarly, are there fire hazard problems, given the east side of the building on the ground floor now has no exit?
October 15th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I think the library should allow people to exit out the door that is normally closed after 5 p.m. The staircase outside those doors is the most logical path to the lockers. It is frustrating to leave the library at night and have to take a long detour to get to the West Basement when there is a stairway right there. I would feel especially bad for anyone with mobility issues. I understand there might be a problem with ID checkers. But at minimum that means you wouldn’t let people ENTER. We could still leave through that door. Although I would think even getting another ID checker wouldn’t be THAT hard and would be a way to make things a bit easier on students.
October 16th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Opening the west side doors to the Library in the evenings makes logistical sense. Let me check on the feasability of doing so. We are working with Fire Marshall and the ADA folks on compliance during the project. As to the east side exit on the first floor, I will follow up on your question. I have the spacial sense of a rhino so I will check with folks who know what they are talking abouton this issue and get back to you.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
Call me risk averse, but I am worried about exits in the event of an emergency. For example, I have class in Booth — if there were a fire, how would we escape? Would we (a) have to go down the hall to the exits by rooms 100-110, or (b) exit the door in the back of the auditorim which leads to the courtyard, or (c) run up the stairs, past Zeb, and exit at Bancroft? What about disabled students? (b) makes me uncomfortable, because the courtyard is fenced in. I would be happy to receive an emergency plan. Thank you!
October 24th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I went down to the Laub Lobby outside Booth and I see your point. Better signs are on the way. The escape route is the hallway that heads north past the bathrooms but that has to be made more obvious. Better signs andd some narrative on the plan are coming.