VCU construction regulations control environment but not noise
With on-going construction on the Monroe Park campus, worries of pollution have recently arisen from faculty and students at VCU.
Currently, VCU is building a new residence hall and classroom building on the Monroe Park campus. The university is also in the final stages of constructing a medical building on the MCV campus. The university has long-term plans to construct more buildings, including another residence hall on West Grace Street and an addition to the James Branch Cabell library. Not all projects are funded or have a timeline for construction yet. Photo by Kyle Laferriere.
Tangee Bowman
Contributing Writer
With on-going construction on the Monroe Park campus, worries of pollution have recently arisen from faculty and students at VCU.
VCU began construction and renovation of parking decks, buildings and housing in 2010. According to VCU’s design and construction guidelines, there are federal and state guidelines builders have to abide by which helps hinder major pollution from construction.
According to a revised six-year plan, VCU’s construction will end in 2016, racking up a total cost of $1.8 billion. This funding will result in the building and renovation of more than 20 buildings, including a new School of Medicine and School of Health building.
The Environmental Protection Agency guidelines prevent the construction workers from harming themselves and their environment with pollution.
The EPA guidelines define all the environmental laws and regulations construction sites need to abide by in order to continue to build. These regulations include: asbestos laws, ozone layer protection laws, air quality laws, solid and hazardous waste laws, storm water runoff laws and more.
“City building inspectors regularly inspect the construction site to ensure the builder is complying with the regulations,” said Jacek Ghosh, VCU’s director of sustainability. “If not, they can halt construction until the violation is corrected.”
Regular inspections ensure a violation has been corrected in a timely manner.
Even though there are guidelines to avoid environmental pollutants, the population of VCU cannot regulate the noise pollution from construction as easily.
“The noise is very disturbing on an everyday basis,” said VCU student Dominique Thomas. “Even though there are times when they cannot work, every other day they do work, it is very annoying though it is for the better of the campus.”
“It can be unsettling at times because it’s tough enough to keep student’s attention without outside distractions,” said Lee Ivory, VCU journalism professor. “Even worse, we have no idea how long the noise is going to continue. We just hope it will go away one day.”
VCU’s design and construction guidelines state there are certain times noisy construction cannot take place. These times include: “exam days, freshman arrival and move-in, reading days and more.”
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You can find more regulations for construction by visiting the following link: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/sectors/construction.html
