Material Falls From Laxson Auditorium Ceiling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 1997
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
Material Falls From Laxson Auditorium Ceiling
CHICO, CA - Clean-up has been completed and damage is being assessed after a decorative cornice fell from the ceiling of CSU Chico’s Laxson Auditorium some time last night or this morning, Oct. 26-27, while the auditorium was unoccupied.
The plaster material landed on several seats in the orchestra right seating section. Production coordinator Steve Ellis discovered the material after he arrived for work this morning.
Jim Williams, director of Environmental Management, Health and Safety, said clean-up took place today under the assumption that asbestos might be present in the fallen material. A/C Industrial of Chico, certified asbestos abatement contractors, did the clean-up work.
Bill McGinnis, director of Facilities Management and Services, said a structural engineer was brought in by the University today to examine the ceiling and the other cornices in order to assess the damage to the auditorium.
For safety reasons, Laxson is closed to public traffic until the engineering study assessing damage to the auditorium is completed.
University Public Events Director Pat Kopp said events scheduled for Laxson over the next few days have been moved to other locations. Tonight’s speaker on drug and alcohol abuse, David Westhol, and tomorrow night’s talk by actor Edward James Olmos, will move to Shurmer Gym. Olmos’ Wednesday morning talk will be held at Acker Gym. The times for the events have not changed. Kopp said his office will send out notices explaining which future events will be rescheduled, postponed or canceled, if necessary. To find out about specific upcoming events in Laxson, call University Box Office at 898-5791.
McGinnis said it was too soon to say if Saturday’s minor earthquake centered near Willows could have weakened the cornice and caused it to fall a day later.
The cornice, one of a dozen or so on the Laxson ceiling, was not a weight-bearing structure in the auditorium. Laxson, built in 1932, received refurbishing and earthquake retrofitting in the mid-1970s.
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