W-Building

W-Building gets facelift over summer

By Jonathan Godfrey
Staff writer

The Walraven Building on the Rome Georgia Highlands College campus is getting a new look.

New carpet, new ceiling tile and fresh paint jobs in some of the offices are a few of the changes that have taken place since remodeling began over the summer.

New renovations of the science and math building were decided on after damaging leaks were found in the roof that was replaced prior to the fall semester.

The project is funded by MR&R (Major/Minor Repair), a budget which is allocated by the state annually according to enrollment, floor space and other contributing factors.

Original funding for the inside renovation was approximately $140,000.

So far, over $100,000 has been spent on the hallways, Tower View area (the carpeted area between W-200 and W-202), and on new geology and biology labs.

Billy Morris, associate professor of geology, received a new office, classroom and lab with all the work being done in W-Building.

"The new geology lab is a great improvement over previous facilities for several reasons. The room allows enough flexibility to move tables into appropriate configurations for collaborative group work or a traditional lecture," said Morris. "Students now have enough space to work with lab materials effectively, and those materials are stored with easy access," he added.

Morris's office was partially destroyed last year when roof work caused tar to leak through the ceiling and onto his possessions. The space that used to be his office was expanded and now includes a classroom and lab all in one place.

The work in Walraven should be completed sometime in October. If there are funds leftover at that time, work will continue in other parts of the building.