Fourth Estate Newspaper

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Photo by Maureen Malone/Fourth Estate Above and below: The remains of the building moments after the blaze was extinguished.

Media Credit: Photo by Kimberly Schmitt Re-construction on the residential hall continues

After a fire nearly destroyed an on-campus apartment on June 25, 2009, the apartment building known as 3334 or Building 109 opened once again on Jan. 23.
The two-story structure with 17 units and 63 beds was unoccupied for the summer. No one was injured, and no other buildings were damaged. About two-thirds of the building was lost.
"We initially thought it was a total loss," said Glenn Gray, director of residence life at UW-Green Bay. "After much evaluation, experts said restoration was the best option."
According to Gray, restoration of the building cost approximately $800,000, but demolition would have exceeded that.
"The new housing facility we're currently building on campus is costing roughly $8 million," said Gray. "Even though this building is twice the size of 3334, it gives you a ballpark estimate on what it would have cost to rebuild 3334."
There are a total of 25 halls or residential buildings in UW-Green Bay's Residence Life complex. The structure burned was one of nine "traditional" or original apartment buildings completed in 1970.
The cause of the fire was never determined, but arson was ruled out. Electrical failure is suspected.
"We have evaluated the electrical systems in all nine traditional apartments, and are working on modifying the detection systems," Gray said. "However, this project was already in the works prior to the fire."
The new detection systems will be similar to those in the newer housing buildings on campus such as Ed Thompson and Richard Liebl Halls. This project, as well as other enhanced safety conditions and new roofs, will be completed in summer 2010.
Some students at UWGB feel that the time it took to restore the building was too long. Gray, however, disagrees.
"The restoration timeline was hardy," said Gray. "It may have appeared to take long because for a few weeks after the fire we spent time evaluating the situation and choosing the best course of action."
Because this building is a state facility, these processes can take much longer. The target date for the project to be completed was Dec. 18, 2009.
"The project did take a month longer than anticipated," Gray said. "This is mainly due to the request we gave to have some of the foundation work to prepare for redoing the fire detection system done during the project."
Some smaller projects such as work to the concrete stairs of 3334, as well as grounds work will be done in the spring.
In the aftermath of the fire, UWGB students were called upon to help their peers with their housing situation. Residents signed up to live in 3334 were to be without housing for the fall semester 2009, and were given a couple options by Residence Life.
Students were given the option to either cancel their contracts without penalty, find someone on campus to live with as an extra roommate, or leave their placement up to Housing.
Many UWGB students volunteered to move off campus, while others opened their doors and said they were willing to take in an additional roommate.
"Housing was very flexible with those moved due to the fire," said Ashley Baggot, a senior business administration major. "Giving them a few options really made everything less stressful for the students."
For the resident assistants in campus housing, moving students meant more of them had roommates for fall semester. Most of the students living with RAs were international students, but due to places being filled by 3334 residents, RAs were caused to have roommates for a much longer length of time.
The loss of students in campus housing between semesters also helped in providing housing for students, even with 3334 being open for spring semester.
According to Gray, 158 students left mid-year due to graduation, transferring to another institution, or simply not returning to school for spring semester. Eighty students were new to housing for spring semester. Both of these numbers are not unusual, according to Gray.
With the reopening of 3334, 45 students are currently living there.
"Even though this building is a 63-bed complex, it is technically full," Gray said. "We had many students choose to buy out extra beds in order to have their own bedroom. Each bed has indeed been paid for."
Students interested in living on campus for the 2010-2011 academic year will have the chance to register for housing in the coming weeks, and sign-up for housing will be in early March.
Both 3334 and the new contemporary apartment will be available as housing options.

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