Parcells Hall elevator near completion

The elevator is complete ... almost.

The new elevator in the Parcells Hall and Byrd Business Building lobbies will be running within days.

The new elevator project was well underway when the fall semester started and is expceted to be finished this week after almost four months of work.

The new elevator will not replace the old one; it simply will be an addition to the busy buildings.

"There was a need for an extra elevator because there is not always a certainty that the one there will work," said Bruce Cotgreave, physical plant director.

"There also have been a few instances of students and faculty being stranded, and that isn't good."

The new elevator will add efficiency, speed and convenience for students with classes in either building.

The new elevator will be in operation alongside the older one for about a year until the complete renovation of the Parcells and Byrd buildings that is planned for August 2010.

The old elevator then will be used as a construction elevator, saving the college money and making building transformation easier for students and workers.

The old elevator eventually will be replaced with a similar elevator to the newly constructed one.

"I don't like taking the stairs or the elevator," Sarah Artho said.

"The stairs make me tired and feel old, and the elevator takes too long and sounds like it's going to explode."

The new elevator is smaller in size, but it is significantly faster and much more durable, according to Cotgreave.

It may not hold the same number of people as the older version, but the waiting time will be reduced because of the precision, he said.