Less than two months after its renovation, the King Memorial Commons Commons is already slated for repair.

Certain patches of the concrete sidewalks located in the commons are beginning to deteriorate for unknown reasons, said Patricia Perkins, assistant to NIU vice president of Finance and Planning Eddie Williams.

Last year’s commons reconstruction was contracted by the State of Illinois Capital Development Board at a total project budget of $740,000.

CDB spokesman Mia Jazo said the CDB is aware of the concrete problem and will evaluate the damages once weather permits.

The reconstruction project is under a one-year warranty with Alliance Contractors in Woodstock, Ill., which has been contacted concerning the failed cement.

“It’s my understanding that Alliance Contractors will repair all the damages under the warranty,” Jazo said.

Neither the CDB nor Alliance Contractors have given any specific reasons as to why the concrete is beginning to crumble and flake apart after just a two-month winter period.

Jazo explained that a possible cause for the disintegrating cement might be a result of weather conditions during the reconstruction.

“The concrete was poured over the summer when it was very hot and perhaps didn’t settle properly,” Jazo said.

Another possible cause for the cement problem could be varying techniques of cement finishing used in the commons.

Certain portions of the commons’s sidewalk areas were broom-finished and others were smooth-finished. “The broom-finished cement for some reason is holding up much better than the smooth-finished areas,” Jazo said.