Closing time

Renewing Rockingham Hall permit 'cost-prohibitive'

Kevan Maciver / graphics editor

Rockingham Hall will close to students at the end of the semester due to costs of renovating the dorm to meet occupancy permit requirements. Eventually, the building will be demolished in Interstate 81's expansion, according to JMU officials.

About 70 students, in additon to several offices, are housed in Rockingham Hall. Students received an e-mail in early March informing them Rockingham Hall would close as a residential building because renewing the building's permit would be “cost-prohibitive,” according to Maggie Evans, director of Residence Life. Offices will remain in the building until alternative locations are found.

Demolition and expansion

Eventually, Rockingham Hall will be torn down as part of the expansion of I-81, according to Towana Moore, associate vice president for Business Services. In 1999, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced plans to widen I-81 to eight lanes in the Harrisonburg area.

In addition to demolishing Rockingham Hall, two sources both said JMU likely will stop using the R2 Lot on Port Republic Road for student parking, allowing VDOT to continue with plans to enlarge exit ramps to I-81. The Rockingham Hall site potentially could become replacement parking for students.

However, most demolition isn't expected to occur soon. Over the summer, the restaurant in front of the dorm will be torn down, according to Mack Moore, JMU coordinator of space management. The restaurant is a remnant from the days when Rockingham was a Howard Johnson's motel before JMU bought it three years ago. JMU currently is seeking demolition permits for the other four buildings that compose Rockingham Hall, he said.

The Office of “Residence Life will lock up the residential part of the building, either until demolition permits are acquired or it's sold to VDOT,” he said.

Office occupancy

Although housing for residents is unavailable starting fall semester, some offices may remain in Rockingham Hall until alternative space is available.

“When JMU purchased the motel, we did not realize that we would have to obtain an occupancy permit …,” Towana Moore said. “This fall, we discovered we did need a permit. In this case, it would be a mixed use permit because we have both student housing and offices located in the building.”

She said that after researching the renovations needed to meet new code requirements and the costs associated with the changes, renewing the permit was determined to be cost-prohibitive for the university.

“Instead, we made some improvements to allow us to continue occupancy of the building in the short-term,” she said.

Mack Moore said students or employees should have no concerns over the safety of the building. “Not renewing the permit in no way reflects a lack of safety or habitability,” he said. “There are just different requirements for different uses.”

One of the offices housed in Rockingham Hall is the Office of Institutional Research. Director Frank Doherty said he heard rumblings of permit issues, but hoped not to move from the building.

“We like it here,” he said. “It's spacious, and we have parking.”

He added that he thought even if his offices were moved, it wouldn't greatly disrupt work. “We trust [JMU] to get us in a space where we can fulfill our mission to the university.”

Student contracts

However, the news of a move was disruptive to junior Craig Mengel, who lives in Rockingham Hall. He said his original plan was to stay in the dorm until he graduated.

“Rockingham's nice,” he said. “You get a balcony, a big room, a private bathroom and you always get a parking spot by your door.”

One of the reasons why he said the closing was disruptive was because letters were not sent to students until after most housing contracts were signed.

“If there are any doubts about whether Rockingham couldn't have stayed open, they should have told us from the start,” he said. “People couldn't see this coming?”

Evans said that the office only received two e-mails expressing disappointment. Most of the students currently living in Rockingham Hall are seniors and likely would not have returned to live in the hall, Evans said.

“The students who had signed contracts for the next year were given the opportunity to be released from that commitment,” Evans said. This includes current students living in Rockingham Hall and other students who planned on living in it before the closing was announced. Two students took her up on the offer.

Mengel, who opted to break his contract, said he was offered a higher priority number for an on-campus room if he wished to stay on campus. While he said he appreciated the gesture, he preferred to sign a lease for an off-campus apartment

“When I canceled my contract, they were pretty apologetic for the inconvience and accommodating,” he said. “It's a shame Rockingham's got to close.”