B&G Will Investigate Leakage

In response to recent student complaints, Buildings and Grounds (B&G) will investigate alternatives to repairing Canaday Hall's roof leakage problem, Lawrence A. Joyce, director of B&G, said yesterday.

The current method of patching the cracks "is not a permanent solution," Joyce said after he and other B&G officials inspected the roof of the dormitory on Thursday.

B&G's practice of shovelling snow off the roof might have caused or aggravated the problem, August P. Sartucci, project supervisor in the planning office, which oversaw the construction of Canaday, said yesterday. "The roof cannot take too much of that banging," he added.

Other experts involved in the original construction of Canaday yesterday speculated on the causes of the leaks and how B&G might repair them. Snow accumulation normally insulates the roof from the worst cold extremes.

The mild winter this year coupled with last summer's extreme heat may have left the stainless steel roof prone to extreme changes in temperature, producing the cracks, Arthur Dickerman, project manager of Barkan Contractors, which built Canaday, said yesterday.

"The roof is made out of an excellent material, and if it needed to be replaced it would cost a small fortune," he added.

Another possible cause of the cracks could be poor soldering of joints in the metal at the time of construction, Harold L. Goyette, director of the planning office, said yesterday, "People walking on the roof could cause undue stress on it."

Canaday's leakage problems began shortly after construction in 1975, Carl Meinhart of the Ehrenkrantz Group, architects of Canaday, said yesterday. "At that time we had to add more joints to adjust to the elasticity of the metal, he said. The roof may still need more joints, he added.

"I don't know why the problem has reappeared," Robert Thomas, manager of the construction management department, said yesterday.

Since Canaday's maintenance comes under the direction of B&G, experts cannot estimate the cost of repairs until B&G decides upon a specific course of action.