By Julia Berkman
After Western students with disabilities raised concerns that construction of the new Multicultural Center would make the Viking Union less accessible, members of Dawson Construction and Western administrators met with them in order to ensure they were being heard.
Dee Mooney, coordinator for the Disability Outreach Center, raised concerns that during the constructions, students could be affected by factors such as loud noises, new routes to enter the VU and the air quality of the area surrounding construction.
So, project managers for Dawson Construction met with Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Director of VU Facilities Eric Alexander and Forest Payne, the project manager and architect for the new center, to hear concerns from Mooney and other Western community members.
This information is condensed from what was said by Payne, Project Manager at Dawson Construction John Pulver, Dawson Superintendent Bob Dunbar and Western’s Onsite Construction Coordinator Dale Kraus.
The Change:
The Viking Union entrance will be changed to the entrance closer to the PAC plaza by the VUArntzen Starbucks. The entrance that faces onto High Street will be closed for the duration of construction.
The Concern:
Will the new entrance be completely ADA accessible? Western student Lisa Osadchuk said that push buttons need to be the wider 4×4 plates for service dogs or people with impairment to be able to hit it better. Visual impairment might also impact buttons being gray on gray versus bright and accessible.
The Response:
All new doors will be equipped with a 4×4 push button that opens them. New ramps and sidewalks are being built along the side of the PAC to ensure the fastest route to the VU.
The Concern: Is there another entrance closer to Vendors’ Row?
The Response: Yes. The service elevators and stairwell attached to the Multi-purpose Room will soon be open for public use. Unfortunately, that route does not allow access to the 6th floor. To get there, take the elevator to the 5th or 7th floor and head towards Bellingham Bay to the next set of elevators, which will lead to the 6th floor lobby.
The Concern: Will the sidewalks have accessible crosswalks?
The Response: Yes. There will be one new ADA accessible crosswalk in front of the entrance to the Viking Commons. The other sidewalk next to Wilson library will be unchanged.
The Change:
The VU bus stop is being moved across the street from the Wilson bus stop.
The Concern: Will that cause more congestion along High Street?
The Response: No, in fact, Alexander says that having the bus stop over by the PAC means that there will be more room for cars to pass by while busses in both directions are stopped. The busses can also now move along High Street at the same time.
The Change:
Dawson construction cars will now park on the curb across the street from the VC.
The Concern: Will those cars block the walkways?
The Response: Hopefully not, but if they do, call Kraus and he’ll have them moved.
The Concern: How can people with visual impairments prevent being hit by car mirrors?
The Response: Kraus acknowledged that that was a good point that he had no answer to at the time.
Additional Concerns:
The Concern: How loud if this going to be, and when will it be the loudest? Will there be any sudden noises? And, when it’s loud, what will happen to places like the Harry Potter Room where the noise can clearly be heard?
The Response: According to Pulver, it’s going to be loud. “There’s no way to sugarcoat it, and it’s probably better you know now,” he said with a chuckle. Thankfully, there shouldn’t be any sudden loud noises. Just consistent jackhammering. The loudest times are going to be during the demolition phase, from March to May.
Alexander and Payne both agreed that they would need to talk to the Library directors about setting up more quiet areas that face away from the construction.
The Concern: Will the air quality be affected by dust?
The Response: Yes, but very slightly. Dunbar said that they’ll be funneling air out towards the bay as well as using water to tamp the amount of dust released into the air.
The Concern: Are any maps being made to show visitors how to get around during construction? How will people know the quickest way to get into the VU?
The Response: Payne and Alexander believed that those maps could be made during spring quarter. The AS Publicity Center is also making signs that can direct people to the best route to enter the VU or bookstore.
While there were a lot of questions, the overarching theme of the meeting was that the administrators are open to listening to any concerns people in the Western community may have about accessibility.
“There are going to be missteps, we want to know about them ,we’re absolutely going to work with you to make sure that the impact is the least in can be. There are going to be times where it is loud, where we have something in the way and- I apologize now,” said Dawson’s Onsite Coordinator Morgan Davis.