Recent deterioration of the new King Memorial Commons’ concrete sidewalks could be due to the use of deicing salt agents.

Steve Larson, owner of Johnson Concrete Co. in DeKalb, said, “The general rule of thumb in using concrete is to wait one full year before any salting agents are put on it.”

Larson said a major cause of “scaling”—the flaking of the concrete’s top layer—is due to deicing salt.

Ken Buell, manager of Floit Sand and Gravel, Sycamore, said the application of deicing salts “may be a reason for the crumbling. New concrete is very vulnerable to salt, especially without a (concrete) sealant.”

Commons Project Manager Patricia Perkins, who also is assistant to NIU Vice President Eddie Williams of Finance and Planning, said the last pour of concrete was done sometime in September. A sealant was put on “at least some areas” of the commons, she said.

NIU Grounds Foreman Tom Anderson said a combination of salt and sand has been used on the commons sidewalks since the first snow and every subsequent time snow and ice accumulated.

Perkins said, “Salt is never good for concrete, but for safety reasons we salt as is required on campus. I’m aware that the NIU grounds crew only uses as much salt as necessary.”

Last year’s $740,000 commons reconstruction contract was awarded by the Illinois Capital Development Board to Alliance Contractors in Woodstock, Ill. Alliance Contractors did not return any calls from The Northern Star made during the past week.

Student Regent James Mertes said he brought the matter to the attention of NIU President John La Tourette two weeks ago, and to the Board of Regents during the January Finance and Facilities Committee meeting a week later.

“President La Tourette assured the committee that the CDB had been informed and that the condition of the concrete did fall under a one-year warranty,” Mertes said.

CDB spokesman Mia Jazo said the board will investigate and evaluate the condition of the commons concrete in its relation to the one-year warranty as soon as weather permits.

“The students shouldn’t have to pay for ignorance, but they have in the past—and probably will in the future,” Mertes said.

Student Association senator Kelly Marie McDonald said she sees the condition of the concrete in the commons as “hazardous for handicapped students and it reflects the ineptitude, inexperience or ignorance of this university.”