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General Ohio University Discussion/Alumni Events Topic
Topic: Pilcher House
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Antonio Pierce
5/23/2016 8:18 PM
Why in such disrepair?
Last Edited: 5/23/2016 8:19:06 PM by Antonio Pierce
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Alan Swank
5/23/2016 8:25 PM
Antonio Pierce wrote:expand_more
Why in such disrepair?
OU calls it "deferred maintenance." Most home owners would call it wanton neglect. Pretty much the story of campus upkeep the last 5 to 7 years.
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rpbobcat
5/24/2016 7:26 AM
As an engineer,I love looking at old buildings.

Last time I was in Athens I noticed that the Pitcher House needed work.

I think a big problem with the building is what can you do with it.

I don't know about Ohio's Codes,but in N.J. if you wanted to do any renovations, you'd have to bring it up to current standards,including ADA.
Just looking at it from the outside,that would be tough and may not even be feasible.

Maybe O.U. could look into restoring it to what it was when it was the actual "Pitcher House".
Last Edited: 5/24/2016 7:27:04 AM by rpbobcat
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David E Brightbill
5/24/2016 6:01 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
Why in such disrepair?
OU calls it "deferred maintenance." Most home owners would call it wanton neglect. Pretty much the story of campus upkeep the last 5 to 7 years.
Alan

The university has poured millions of dollars dealing with deferred maitaince in the last several years. The administration and the board developed a unique and cutting edge financing system ( century bond) to assure that the backlog is steadily reduced going forward. There is a priority list as there should be. It may not conform to your list but lots of thought and planning goes into it. It is reviewed annually.
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Alan Swank
5/25/2016 5:11 PM
David E Brightbill wrote:expand_more
Why in such disrepair?
OU calls it "deferred maintenance." Most home owners would call it wanton neglect. Pretty much the story of campus upkeep the last 5 to 7 years.
Alan

The university has poured millions of dollars dealing with deferred maitaince in the last several years. The administration and the board developed a unique and cutting edge financing system ( century bond) to assure that the backlog is steadily reduced going forward. There is a priority list as there should be. It may not conform to your list but lots of thought and planning goes into it. It is reviewed annually.
David - your statements are true but why did we neglect the maintenance in the first place and why have we reduced the number of people on campus that we had taking care of the buildings and grounds just 10 years ago? I'd be more than happy to take you on a tour of campus so that you can see first hand what those of us who live here see every day as opposed to the scripted "tour" that the board gets.
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David E Brightbill
5/25/2016 8:55 PM
Thanks for the offer but I spent a lot of time on campus as a trustee and still spend a lot of time there. You may think trustees are out of touch, but we had members down in the steam tunnels. In the old south green dorms before the new ones were built. In practically every classroom building not just where students go but where the mechanical equipment is etc. I have been places I doubt you have ever been. Hours of meetings on deferred maintence needs and how to finance maintenance and renovation. Prehaps you have missed all the construction on campus the last several years. I don't see how though since it seemed like streets were closed at some point everywhere on campus
Last Edited: 5/25/2016 9:00:45 PM by David E Brightbill
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OhioCatFan
5/25/2016 9:56 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
. . . why did we neglect the maintenance in the first place and why have we reduced the number of people on campus that we had taking care of the buildings and grounds just 10 years ago? . . .
This is a good question, Alan, but I think the problem started quite a bit earlier than ten years ago. When I returned to Athens in the fall of 1978, the upkeep of campus was horrible -- even worse than it is today. Then in the early 1980s, the administration hired a lot more maintenance folks and things improved dramatically. There was then for about ten years or so a "golden age" of campus upkeep and maintenance. Sometime in the 1990s, things began to slip. As I recall when budgets got tight maintenance was one of the first things to be cut. And, once cut, this crucial area was not refunded when the budget improved. It may have been better ten years ago than today, I don't dispute that, but ten years ago it was way below its zenith. If I was a rich man, I'd give the university several endowments -- one would be for wages for the maintenance crew. To get back to sports, another would be to endow athletic scholarships. The former being more important than the latter. I'd also endow some academic areas, but that's beyond the scope of this thread.
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Alan Swank
5/26/2016 1:57 PM
David E Brightbill wrote:expand_more
Thanks for the offer but I spent a lot of time on campus as a trustee and still spend a lot of time there. You may think trustees are out of touch, but we had members down in the steam tunnels. In the old south green dorms before the new ones were built. In practically every classroom building not just where students go but where the mechanical equipment is etc. I have been places I doubt you have ever been. Hours of meetings on deferred maintence needs and how to finance maintenance and renovation. Prehaps you have missed all the construction on campus the last several years. I don't see how though since it seemed like streets were closed at some point everywhere on campus
So with all of your time on campus, what would be your top five sites/spots to catch up on neglected maintenance?
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Alan Swank
5/26/2016 2:18 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
. . . why did we neglect the maintenance in the first place and why have we reduced the number of people on campus that we had taking care of the buildings and grounds just 10 years ago? . . .
This is a good question, Alan, but I think the problem started quite a bit earlier than ten years ago. When I returned to Athens in the fall of 1978, the upkeep of campus was horrible -- even worse than it is today. Then in the early 1980s, the administration hired a lot more maintenance folks and things improved dramatically. There was then for about ten years or so a "golden age" of campus upkeep and maintenance. Sometime in the 1990s, things began to slip. As I recall when budgets got tight maintenance was one of the first things to be cut. And, once cut, this crucial area was not refunded when the budget improved. It may have been better ten years ago than today, I don't dispute that, but ten years ago it was way below its zenith. If I was a rich man, I'd give the university several endowments -- one would be for wages for the maintenance crew. To get back to sports, another would be to endow athletic scholarships. The former being more important than the latter. I'd also endow some academic areas, but that's beyond the scope of this thread.
Right you are OCF. When we came to campus in 1979, this place was a landscape nightmare. Dr. Ping actually sat in our "apartment" in Pickering Hall and told us that we were grossly understaffed. I thought he was crazy at the time but that's another story. As it turns out, in the next 15 to 20 years the campus really improved. When I compared today to 10 years ago it was because my daughter got married on the Ridges 10 years ago this July and one of the grounds and maintenance guys had the old auditorium looking perfect for the occasion. Since then, the number of folks working up there has been cut back and it's pretty much an eyesore again.
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OhioCatFan
5/27/2016 1:00 AM
Alan, I appreciate your further comments and think we are on the same page here. Also, I appreciate the fact that you refrained from pointing out my glaring grammatical error in my previous post: "If I was a rich man . . . " should, of course, be "If I were a rich man . . . "
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Kinggeorge4
5/27/2016 7:54 AM
During the 80's and 90's there were a lot of band-aids put on. Ohio didn't always fix it, we made it work for now. That has caught up and they seem to have a good plan in place to actually fix things.
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Alan Swank
5/27/2016 8:17 AM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Alan, I appreciate your further comments and think we are on the same page here. Also, I appreciate the fact that you refrained from pointing out my glaring grammatical error in my previous post: "If I was a rich man . . . " should, of course, be "If I were a rich man . . . "
For your morning enjoyment and entertainment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
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OhioCatFan
5/27/2016 1:24 PM
Thanks, Alan. I actually thought about this song as I was writing my previous post. Enjoyed listening to it again! :-)
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oldkatz
5/27/2016 5:58 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Thanks, Alan. I actually thought about this song as I was writing my previous post. Enjoyed listening to it again! :-)

Alan beat me to it, seaweed & oil tender boy. TRADITION!!!!!
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Alan Swank
5/27/2016 6:34 PM
oldkatz wrote:expand_more
Thanks, Alan. I actually thought about this song as I was writing my previous post. Enjoyed listening to it again! :-)

Alan beat me to it, seaweed & oil tender boy. TRADITION!!!!!
Only because I have high speed internet and you're still on dial up.
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Antonio Pierce
3/31/2021 1:47 PM
I understand the property is under contract to be sold. Anyone have any details?
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MedinaCat
4/7/2021 6:55 PM
Antonio Pierce wrote:expand_more
I understand the property is under contract to be sold. Anyone have any details?
I have no details, but found the article below interesting. Sounds like they are knocking(already have) down several structures as well. Brown house at the top of Jeff Hill is no more.

https://www.athensmessenger.com/news/ous-pilcher-house-fo...
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JSF
4/8/2021 6:12 PM
I am completely ignorant to the details, but it's upsetting to see the Brown House taken down and the jettisoning of Pilcher.
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TWT
4/10/2021 12:17 PM
What stays and goes is part of a house strategy that was developed around the time of the last master plan in 2016.

The former president house 29 Park Place and alumni center have ADA renovations completed.

https://ohiotoday.org/grounds-for-change /
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