Construction between UF's Marston Science Library and Computer Science and Engineering buildings will soon bring an end to leaks that have plagued rooms beneath the bisecting plaza for about 20 years.
UF's Physical Plant Division is overseeing a $405,000 project to find the cause of the leaks and protect the plaza's lower level against further water damage by replacing and repairing the infrastructure, said project manager Chandler Rozear.
The project, expected to wrap up in November, will be split into three phases so the surrounding buildings are still accessible, Rozear said.
He said the first phase, which began this week and should finish before the fall semester, involves demolition of the plaza walkway between the buildings in order to reach the rooms below.
Because the jackhammer used to break up the plaza caused such a disturbance, the crew has been working from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. and clearing the debris during the day, he said.
Denise Bennett, a librarian at Marston, said water has leaked into the Map and Imagery Library on the first floor of Marston since it opened in 1987, which she said suggests a flaw in the building's design. Bennett said the Physical Plant had implemented "some Band-Aid approaches" over the years to plug the leaks, such as gutters and caulking, but they continued to be a problem.
"What they're doing now is the equivalent of surgery," she said.
Carol McAuliffe, head of the Map and Imagery Library, said the library will continue to provide access to its 500,000 maps, although they will be relocated.
"There shouldn't be too much change for patrons," McAuliffe said.
