Running water has returned to Roy House residence ahead of schedule.
The faulty sanitation pipe preventing running water in Roy House, a subsection of Jean Royce Hall Phase Two, expected to be repaired on Sept. 28, was fixed ahead of schedule on Sept. 22. Students in Roy House didn’t have access to water on their floors for 22 days.
Previously, students were expected to use the facilities in Miller House, the adjacent subsection of the residence.
According to emails sent to affected residents from the Residence Facilities Control Centre, facilities including toilets, laundry, showers, and sinks were restored last Friday to approximately 40 students currently living in the residence.
“Finishing work to repair the floor and exterior fill work, where the pipe connects to the main Jean Royce Hall II building sanitary line, will continue into early October,” said Matt Savoie, director (facilities & infrastructure, housing and ancillary services), in a statement to The Journal. “The remaining work to be completed will not impact the residents of the upper floors of Roy House.”
While life returns to normal for students living on the second, third, and fourth floors, students on the first floor continue to be affected. First floor residents are unable to reside in their assigned rooms due to the ongoing construction.
The first floor of Roy House remains vacant as its 12 residents were moved to other residence buildings on main or west campus. Students commented they were happy to have left before the construction began.
Hunter Renaud, Comm ’27, was one of the students who was relocated from Roy House to Waldron Tower.
“Transitioning to university is difficult itself. Having no running water to shower, use the washroom, or wash your hands was another added stress that I wasn’t prepared for during my first two weeks at Roy House,” Renaud said in an interview with The Journal.
Previous complaints by students, including overcrowded washrooms, have been resolved since the pipe was fixed.
Students complained the construction was a noisy process. Although noisy construction was limited from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., students commented they were woken up by the construction in the mornings.
“The noise from the construction made it difficult to focus on homework and or studying,” said Kalan Morris-Poolman, Comp ’27.
Although students interviewed by The Journal faced issues with construction, they expressed their appreciation to the workers whom they reported worked diligently to finish the project ahead of schedule.
Savoie told The Journal students with continuing concerns related to the construction in Roy House should report them to staff.
Tags
Construction, housing and ancillary services, Residence, University, West Campus
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