Luzerne County Community College maintenance staff employee Ben Ulitchny waits for a piece of flooring to be cut to size to cover an area exposed when the wall between two classrooms was removed. The college is converting space to allow greater distance between students when they they return this fall after the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools statewide.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
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Workers are installing clear plastic shields in the LCCC Library, as well as signs reminding visitors to follow social distancing guidelines, in preparation for re-opening the school safely this fall after the COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to close statewide.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
An auditorium in LCCC’s Educational Conference Center, normally used for special events or gatherings, will become a regular classroom this fall because the size allows social distancing for students. Though not initially done in preparation of the classroom use, windows added during extensive renovations last year will add natural light to the student experience.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
NANTICOKE — Luzerne County Community College is literally knocking down barriers — in this case, non-load bearing walls — to make students feel safe when they return this fall.
The main campus has been removing walls between adjoining classrooms since the end of May, Director of Physical Plant Keith Graham said. After a wall is removed, trim is installed and the floor tiling is replaced where the wall stood.
Ben Ulitchny was working on re-tiling a floor in one such project Tuesday in Luzerne Hall. He said it took college maintenance staff about two weeks to convert six rooms into three.
Earlier this month College President Thomas Leary announced plans for the return to in-person lessons this fall. The plan calls for expanding instruction space — making two rooms into one, for example — and converting other areas not used for instruction to serve as classrooms.
The plan calls for having classes in the gymnasium and other large meeting areas, including auditoriums in the recently renovated Education Conference Center. Water infiltration prompted LCCC to begin work that was initially expected to be moderate in that building, but which became much more extensive when it was discovered the facade stone had become porous enough to let water inside. Almost all of the facade material was replaced.
While not initially a response to the need for more space, part of that work will make things a little brighter in one of the center’s auditoriums expected to become a classroom. When the exterior walls were replaced, windows were added, providing natural lighting during the day.
A lot of signs are starting to appear urging social distancing and other safety protocols. In the library, clear plastic barriers have been put up on the counters between staff and visitors, and more are planned.
Cost of the safety changes hasn’t yet been totaled, but in making the announcement of a return to school, Leary said he believes federal grant money intended to help schools deal with pandemic-induced changes should cover everything.
Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish