Students who have found themselves dodging water droplets in Carmichael will have to wait until next year to see this indoor precipitation eliminated.
Work will begin this May to repair a section of the building's porous roof and stop the leaks that for years have created damage and inconvenience for residents of the dorm.
According to Tufts' Deferred Maintenance Program Manager Rudi Pizzi, the plan is to restore the small cupola, the dome-like structure on top of the Carmichael roof, as well as the railing around it.
Other construction will also be done in the same area. "We're going to re-roof the small roof that surrounds the cupola. The extent of the work is under that flat roof. The other roofing part was replaced several years back," he said.
Unfortunately for some students currently living in Carmichael, this summer's construction is too little, too late. Some residents of the building's fifth floor have been experiencing problems throughout the year.
"One morning, I woke up and there were chunks of ceiling on my face," said sophomore Elizabeth Frenette, who lives on the fifth floor of Carmichael.
Sophomore Allison Klein, Frenette's roommate, said that the snowstorm earlier this month only made things worse. "Water came through my light fixture. There was also a spot by my bed where water was leaking in," she said.
Sophomore Claire Hollocou, who lives near Frenette and Klein on the fifth floor, said that the building has been plagued by similar problems in the past. "These problems should have been dealt with before," she said.
Vice President for Operations John Roberto confirmed that his office knew about leaks in Carmichael last year, but it was unable to corral the resources for anything more than short-term solutions.
"We were aware of the leaks last year, but it takes time to get a bid [from a contractor] and secure the money," he said. "Temporary repairs were made to fix the roof, but [the roof] continued to deteriorate."
He said that the current repairs will start after graduation and are intended to be completed by the end of the summer.
The job, which will be managed by the Deferred Maintenance Program, will be contracted out to Columbia Construction.
