After exceeding its expected 20-year lifespan and withstanding a year-long delay, the roof of Reavis Hall may be repaired Friday.

The roof of Reavis Hall was installed in 1985, said Paul Palian, director of media and public relations. Roof replacement was scheduled to begin in 2011 but several delays in the State of Illinois procurement and bidding process pushed replacement work to 2013.

The roof repairs will cost about $250,000, Palian said. The final cost of the project will be available once the work is done.

University facilities staff have been monitoring the roof and performing minor repairs as needed, Palian said. The staff saw increased deterioration of the roof because of the extreme hot weather during the past summer, he said. Recent leaking caused some damage to interior ceilings, walls and floors.

“Emergency replacement is happening now to prevent further damage due to winter weather,” Palian said.

Reavis Hall’s roof has been getting progressively worse over the past three years, said Amy Levin, chair of the English Department, which is located at Reavis Hall. Levin said she has noticed water leaks in classrooms and offices. She said the leaks have affected books and computers.

On Sunday, Lesley Rigg, associate dean for research and graduate affairs, notified NIU staff members through an email that emergency roof replacement for Reavis Hall may begin Friday.

The repairs was estimated by professional roofing consultants to last 60 days, said Paul Palian, director of media and public relations, in an email.

Levin said she worries about how the leaking may affect people’s health since she noticed mold in the building. She said there was one office in Reavis Hall that was completely unusable.

English teaching assistant Ellen Stuart said she has seen problems with the roof for the last six years.

Stuart said she remembers ceiling tiles falling in classrooms because they absorbed a heavy amount of water. Maintenance staff would put buckets below a leak and plug the leak from the top of the roof, she said.

Stuart said a ceiling tile in Room 311 was replaced last spring semester, but the tile has since sustained more damage. In one case, tampons were used to plug a hole to prevent leaking, she said.

Rigg said in an email to NIU staff that the construction may be not only be disruptive to activities at Reavis Hall but may likely impact work in Zulauf Hall. The construction may affect Watson Hall, DuSable Hall and Cole Hall to a lesser extent.

Provost Raymond Alden and the College of Liberal Arts and Science assisted with a coordinated effort to minimize classroom disruptions for students and faculty, Palian said. The contractor will schedule disruptive and noisy work during off-hours.

English teaching assistant Susan Jardine said she may have to scramble to find other classes to use in light of the construction.

“It would have been nice if they did it over the summer,” Stuart said.