Construction Raises Concerns over Noise

By JAMES GRAHAM

Advanced Studies Program students have expressed concern regarding the noisy construction, on the both the Schoolhouse and the new Lindsay Family Center for Mathematics and Science, and its affect on the classroom setting.

A primary issue is that the loud noises emitted from the heavy machinery and the construction vehicles are distracting and make class discussion and lectures hard to hear. Last week, a common sound on campus was the drone of a hydraulic hammer, used to pound holes into the ground.

Mike Derryberry, an ASP student whose Artificial Intelligence classes meet in the Payson Science Center said that the walls in his class would shake so much that keyboards from computers would start to shake, vibrations from the drill could be felt from anywhere in the classroom, and that when the noise from the hydraulic hammer outside got so bad, they had to move their class to the schoolhouse. When in the Schoolhouse, dust from workers on the roof would drift into their class through the open windows and cover their desks in dust.

Mr. Derryberry summed up his sentiments by saying that the construction “(is) annoying.”

“It’s noisy and hard to hold class, but it’s generally okay,” said Brendan Cohen, an intern for the Astronomy course at the ASP.

Mr. Cohen said he feels that the interruptions are worth it, labeling the construction “an exciting project.”

The construction will eventually give way to the new Lindsay Center, which will replace Payson and house the St. Paul's School science department, as well as the mathematics department, which currently resides in Moore.

Upon completion in September 2011, the math and science building will be equipped with a number of modern features, but currently students are growing more concerned about the daily interruptions they face during classes.

Construction begins every week day at 7:00 a.m. and lasts until 3:00 p.m., according to Mike Comer, Clerk of the Works for the construction project. Class time for the ASP begins and ends during this work window, leaving Saturday the the singular class day without construction noise.

The construction for the new building began in late April of this year and will continue on throughout the summer. Students of St. Paul’s School who return in the fall will face these conditions for the entirety of their school year, as will the attendees of next summer’s ASP.