Bad News About Brick Walls at an Alabama Community College

Wallace State Community College got some bad news when structural engineers came to inspect spalling and bulging brick walls on two buildings. The institution, located in Hanceville, Ala., is facing about $9-million in repair costs, the engineers said.

According to The Cullman Times, the engineers found that the buildings have “nonexistent or inadequate” expansion joints. They also have too few ties holding the brick curtain walls on, too few weep holes allowing moisture to escape, and inadequate waterproofing.

The smaller of the two buildings — the seven-story Bevill Building, which dates to 1988 and houses the college’s allied-health programs — needs $2.1-million of work that is now being planned because the situation is “critical.” The 12-story James C. Bailey Center, the college’s centerpiece, may need about $7-million worth of repairs, but those can’t be scheduled until the institution finds money to pay for them, administrators said. The Bailey Center is seven years younger than the Bevill Building.

The problems were discovered after cracks appeared in the brickwork and a 30-pound chunk of concrete fell off one of the structures.