The University Housing Division informed the current residents of the Lawn and the Range Monday evening that they cannot use their fireplaces until necessary repairs are completed.
The University discovered problems with the flue liners and the fireplace hearths in the rooms while they were renovating Pavilion IX during the summer, University spokesperson Carol Wood said in an email. Independent contractors were then brought in to evaluate the condition of the chimneys in the Lawn and Range rooms.
Using the damaged fireplaces could have disastrous consequences for residents.
"The hot gas of a fire can go through the lining through the chimney bricks and possibly set fire to the wood structure around it - that's the biggest worry," said Michael Merriam, associate director for Facilities Maintenance.
A committee of Lawn and Range residents will be formed to explore possible solutions to the issues with the fireplaces.
"We are creating a student working group that will look at the cost of the various repair options, disruptions and the benefits of having a working fireplace in the rooms," said Reedy Swanson, head resident of the Lawn. "Then we will make a recommendation to administration for what is most cost efficient and what maximizes the student experience."
There is no definite timeframe for when the student proposal will be completed.
"We hope to have a report by mid-September and a decision hopefully by end of September," Swanson said. "It is all very dependent. It is a fluid situation right now."
In addition, both the amount of time the repairs would take and their cost have yet to be determined, Merriam said. Independent contractors have been hired to make a recommendation to the University, he said.
The University has made its own project evaluation for when the 49 Lawn room chimneys may be able to be repaired.
"The best case scenario would be that the Lawn rooms could be repaired by the beginning of next semester," Merriam said. The University estimates this would cost between $1 million and $3 million. These expenses would only cover nearly half the 106 chimneys in the Academical Village, Merriam said.
Reactions to the problems with the fireplace have been mixed since residents were informed Monday night. Although residents considered the fireplaces an advantage of living on the Lawn, they are not necessary to heat rooms, Swanson said. The use of a fireplace, however, "impacts the atmosphere and social traditions of living on the Lawn," he said.
Some of the residents who have been impacted by the decision to ban the use of fireplaces in their rooms argue that the entire atmosphere of the Academical Village has been changed. "We come here to live because there is something that has drawn us to the community, because there are these features like having a fireplaces and having a place to host an event," Range resident Lance Murashige, a second-year Law student, said. "When they are taken from us its very difficult for us to turn around and say, 'Yes. That's where we want to live."
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