Room 221

To some, the long-disputed history of Rio Grande Campus Room 221 rings like a campy horror flick, and to others it screams of a real life nightmare.

The former science office is undergoing renovations and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks to make way for a drama department scene shop.

"Having a shop right next to the theater - like it's supposed to be - will be tremendous," said drama professor Marcus McQuirter.

The current scene shop is down-hill, a block away from the campus, so students must use a 1987 Chrysler van to carry items (that fit) to and from the theater.

"Everyone should have to lug a four-by-eight platform up that hill," said McQuirter.

Though still lacking a costume shop - McQuirter keeps some of the department's costumes in his office and has masks double as wall art - the new room will be a big step for the department.

"I think we are really lucky to have a community college with that kind of space and dedication to the arts programs," said McQuirter.

Plywood and locks have kept Room 221 sealed off from the public in recent years. Issues with the room first began in 2001, when college employees requested air quality tests in the room after several of them became ill. Problems continued in 2003, when a suit was brought against former ACC President Richard Fonte by six current and former employees (Bryant v. Fonte). The case was subsequently dismissed and the school affirmed, through studies later made public, that the room has been and will continue to be safe from mercury and other hazards.

"I trust [the school] implicitly, explicitly and fully," said Dean of the Arts and Humanities Division, Lyman Grant. "I believe their intention is to not put anyone into danger."

Baer Engineering conducted the most recent tests of the room, boring out dime-sized holes of the cement floor. A precision tool was used to measure mercury vapors down to as small of an amount as two nanograms.

"Our formula for testing is 500 times more stringent [than OSHA's]," said Brette Lea, executive director of Public Information and College Marketing.

An area along one wall deemed as the place of highest mercury vapor content was found to be safe, containing levels of mercury similar to that of outside air.

"Admitting they've found [mercury] and cleaned it up was what we asked for since the beginning," said Mark Goodrich, former president of the Teacher's Union and current maintenance technician. "It seems like they are finally getting it."

Goodrich's persistent questioning about Room 221 at a recent Board of Trustees meeting landed him on probation. He is currently in a First Amendment legal battle with the college and has not been invited back to a board meeting.

"I've been trying to do the right thing and I'm caught in an awkward spot," he said. Goodrich hopes to settle soon.

Becky Cole, director of Environment Health and Safety for ACC said the college administration wants to be open and honest. "We have nothing to hide," she said.

A confidentiality clause sealed an earlier settlement between former ACC professor Corinne Irwin and the college. Irwin, a math professor at the University of Texas at Austin, left ACC in 2002 after accepting a mediated retirement agreement.

"I've seen 20 doctors in 20 years," said Irwin, who has had numerous procedures and hospital visits in that time, amounting to nearly six digits in medical costs. "I think there is plenty of evidence to support the claim [for environmental dangers], but the school has chosen not to make that evidence public."

According to ACC officials, Room 221 and its neighbor, Room 219, will soon be free of any potentially hazardous materials, as lead and asbestos abatement is ongoing. The wood floor, walls and ceiling have all been removed in preparation for the renovated classrooms.

"Our goal is just, 'Find it, fix it,'" said Lea. "Our top priority is the safety of the students, faculty and staff."

The open-ended budget will pay for the rooms to become similar in vein with Room 318, which lies a floor above, and has a similar history. Seventy thousand dollars went into that room's rebuilding, and a red phone in the room connects directly to campus police in case of an emergency. Goodrich, who was also present during the renovations of 318, said, "They tell us it's safe, but when they do the remodeling [of Room 318], the mercury is literally lying there on the floor."

The southwest wing of the Rio Grande Campus, according to blueprints dating back to 1996, has been the science wing. From physics to biology, teachers and students alike took part in now defunct standards for safety.

"Anywhere anything is being found," Lea said, "is being remedied immediately." ACC will send an e-mail to faculty and staff through the college's e-mail system which will give a final, comprehensive update to faculty and staff.

But where one problem seemingly ends, another begins. The scene shop will be a noisy place, and although the room will be tempered with sound proofing, employees that work directly below are concerned how the noise will affect their productivity.

"I really hope the noise that comes from the shop doesn't affect my ability to assist students with their needs or SGA productivity," said Marisa Walden, Rio Grande Student Life Coordinator.

Let's hope this flick doesn't have a sequel.