Click here for updates on this story
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Friday is supposed to be move-in day for hundreds for UNC-Asheville students, but nearly 300 won’t be allowed into nearly constructed residence halls.
University officials say 272 students scheduled to move in this weekend and 59 students who had already moved into five new dorms now have to be relocated after the State Department of Insurance deemed the halls unsafe.
UNCA Chancellor Nancy Cable said the university was notified of the decision at 5 p.m. Thursday in an email from Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, stating that he determined “that conditions exist in the University’s new wooden dormitories that pose an undue hazard to life and safety and, therefore, is prohibiting use of the buildings until these hazards are abated.”
This comes after the dorms had already been declared safe for occupancy by the Office of State Construction on Wednesday.
The Department of Insurance says the issues lie in a lack of sprinklers in the attics, improper construction of fire walls in the stairwells, and the location of water pipes for firefighters, which could pose a hazard during evacuation.
A representative with the department said the university was made aware of the issues by early June. On Thursday, the State Insurance Commissioner put a halt on move-in once the department received jurisdiction.
In a statement on the university’s website, the chancellor says:
The safety of our students is our top priority. The issues raised by the North Carolina Department of Insurance have already been addressed and accepted by the Office of State Construction. The Office of State Construction, which we believe has authority in this matter, has assured UNC Asheville that the buildings are safe and that office granted occupancy on August 15. While initial Department of Insurance inspections did reveal some concerns, those issues have been addressed by a third-party engineering firm, the architect of record, and accepted and approved by the State Construction Office.
Our new residence halls are safe or we would not have allowed our students to begin to move in. In an abundance of caution due to this unexpected development, we are relocating our students until this situation is resolved. We believe these buildings are safe as was confirmed by the Office of State Construction. We are moving with deliberate speed to ensure minimal disruption to our students and the start of our academic year.
The newly constructed residence halls are for upperclassmen and referred to as “The Woods.”
University officials said they are working with the state parties involved to find a solution and with Biltmore Farms to put affected students in hotel rooms. The university said they will also provide storage and a shuttle to class for the students.
Classes are scheduled to begin on Monday.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
