Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


 
The construction occurring in the Sibley Building has posed challenges for the Damon City Campus community since the beginning of this term.  Please know that my office is aware of these issues and that I am sorry for any disruptions faced at DCC.  As I have shared at Faculty Senate, the College has been working with Monroe County, Winn Companies (building owner), and DiMarco Constructors (project manager) to address these issues. 

Over the past week, noise-related complaints have escalated, so Executive Dean Frater met with the SEGA leadership team and other students to understand their concerns.  The College then met again with representatives from the County, DiMarco, and Winn to address the disruption.  Winn and DiMarco agreed to modify the construction schedule so that no heavy demolition will occur between 9:00 am and 2:30 pm (DCC peak class times).  Also, in anticipation of building access and exit challenges this winter, Winn and DiMarco are working with the City of Rochester to explore ways to improve the Clinton Avenue and Main Street entrance/exit, which has been impacted by the construction fencing.

We have also heard from DCC community members who are concerned about air quality during construction.  The NYS Department of Labor conducted a series of air quality tests recently, and the results indicated that “respirable dust or fibers were not detected in any of the samples.” The full report of these tests is available in our Department of Environmental Health and Safety; should you wish more information, please contact Sharon Marini at smarini2@monroecc.edu <mailto:smarini2@monroecc.edu> .

You may recall that MCC recently took proactive measures to test College water for lead.  While MCC was responsible for the Brighton tests, Winn—as the building owner--was responsible for the tests at DCC. They tested the three main water lines that feed the water fountains on the 4th and 5th floor of the Sibley building and all were “under the Environmental Protection Agency’s action level for lead.”  Again, should you wish more information, please contact Ms. Marini.

The College and the County are committed to addressing issues related to Sibley Building renovation and construction.  To that end, I ask that you use the form attached below to report any concerns.  Please send completed forms to Executive Dean Frater at jfrater@monroecc.edu <mailto:jfrater@monroecc.edu> .  As you might imagine, the perspective of the DCC community on the current environment may differ from that of Winn, DiMarco, and the many construction subcontractors.  Gathering complaints in a consistent format with consistent reporting requirements will provide us with stronger documentation of issues.

As we look to the future downtown campus, we have not lost sight of the needs of our current students, faculty, and staff.  We recognize that Winn, as the building owner, has the right to renovate their property, but as tenants, MCC also has the right to expect a healthy, safe, and secure learning environment for our community. Thank you to the entire DCC community for their resilience in the face of this fall’s challenges.

Please add your comments on the blog.

Anne M. Kress
President's Office
11/02/2016


Attachments:
icon CONSTRUCTION ISSUES REPORT FORM.pdf