Over winter break, Strosacker’s balcony is going to get a makeover. The balcony’s carpet flooring, which is currently worn out and ripping, will be removed and replaced.

“The carpet is a tripping hazard, and it has become a liability for the school,” noted Eugene Matthews, director of facilities services.

Facilities Services plans on replacing the current flooring with newer carpeting. Furniture will be replaced after the project is finished.

Facilities Services does frequent examinations of spaces on campus to determine whether flooring or paint needs to be replaced. Over the summer, they will also replace the carpeting in the fourth floor of Nord and Sears.

“We typically only clean carpets twice a year,” said Matthews. “We want to replace the carpeting with a product that meets the needs of the students and allows the custodians to clean it on a nightly basis.”

Food spills and stains have made the carpeting in Nord and Sears dirtier than most, making it a priority for the university to replace.

“In some areas of campus, where students gather to study and eat, we’re trying to find alternatives to make the spaces available for use but still easy to clean,” added Tom Bondra, project manager of the facilities services department.

In Nord and Sears, the carpeting will be replaced with soft linoleum tiling. Acoustic panels will be put on the walls to minimize noise.

Because the project will likely be done over the summer, it shouldn’t interfere with student use of the space. The chairs and couches will remain in place.