Restrooms in buildings around campus will be undergoing several renovations to bring them up to code with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and to remove asbestos.
The renovations will begin with those in the Culp University Center.
The changes include enlarging stalls, adjusting the height of sinks, lowering mirrors, adjusting handles and wrapping pipes with insulation.
“One of the major changes is enlarging the stalls to give wheelchairs a larger turning radius which will reduce the number of stalls,” said Bill Rasnick, assistant vice president of the physical plant at East Tennessee State University.
The state allocates money each year for ADA renovations and the Office of Disability Services determines how it is used.
“It varies from year to year depending on the state budget situation but this year we got about $250,000 for ADA repairs,” said Rasnick. “Disability Services then makes up a list of priorities which they give to me.”
The restroom project tops the list. It will take about six weeks to complete the renovations to each bathroom.
Rasnick understands how this impacts people on campus but the state mandates when this type of thing is done. “We do all we can to minimize the inconvenience,” he said.
Trace amounts of asbestos were detected in the restrooms before work began so a private company was hired to remove and dispose of the material, Rasnick said. Another company was also hired to monitor air quality around the work site by pulling air samples from time to time to test for asbestos in the air.
Since most buildings on campus were built before ADA the repairs won’t be limited to just the restrooms in the Culp Center.
“There are several buildings around campus that need this,” Rasnick said. “We started this just before the first of the year and should be finished by the time the fall semester starts.

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