Granville repairs take longer than expected

The 140 students forced to move out of Granville Towers East following last week’s flooding will be displaced longer than originally expected.

Repairs from the Nov. 4 flood will take up to a month mostly because of damage to drywall, and students won’t be able to move back in until the beginning of the spring semester, said Kelly Stasko, general manager of Granville Towers, in an email.

“We have made the temporary arrangements through the end of the semester,” Stasko said. “We wanted students to be able to focus on their exams rather than having to deal with moving back.”

Granville and UNC’s Department of Housing and Residential Education are trying to make the process as painless as possible for students.

“At first I heard it was going to be two days, so I just stayed in a friend’s room,” said Ryan Stewart, who lives on the third floor of Granville East.

“Then I moved two weeks of clothing to HoJo. Then I heard it would be for the rest of the semester, and I moved everything I own.”

Granville worked with the housing department to assign temporary living situations for the displaced students.

“We did have a number of empty rooms for second semester for returning study abroad students or just to have more ability for movement,” said Rick Bradley, assistant director of assignments and communication for the department.

Bradley said there were between 20 and 25 empty rooms available in Hinton James Residence Hall. When possible, roommates were moved together.

“That was the first logical location for students,” he said.

Most students were relocated to Hinton James, but some were also assigned to Graham, Craige, Ehringhaus and Morrison residence halls.

So far, 81 students have checked in to their temporary housing. The others might have opted to move in with friends or family, Bradley said.

“I think Granville handled it very well, getting us all dorms on campus,” said freshman Isabelle Voler. “That was a relief.”

Students were given meal plans at Rams Head and Lenoir dining halls to supplement their plans at Granville’s dining hall, The Agora.

“I think Granville has done a great job on giving daily updates, answering questions and informing parents,” Bradley said.

Voler said the move has been a positive experience.

“Some people have posters on their door that say, ‘We support our flood victims,‘” Voler said.

Stewart, a freshman, said she has changed her routine to adjust for a longer walk to class, but she is generally satisfied with how Granville is handling the situation.

“It’s different, but it’s not bad. Some people are complaining,” she said.

“But they’re doing the best they can.”

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