Safe storage

A state-of-the-art chemical storage facility has received budget approval and will soon be under way on the Studley Campus. The project will be a single storey addition to the Chemistry Building. It includes the construction of more than 10,000 square feet of new space and renovation of some existing space.

The addition will be on the north side of the Chemistry Building, between the back of the current building and the Dunn Parking lot that borders Coburg Road. This project also includes a fume stack. The Chemical Storage Facility is required to address the safe handling and storage of chemicals. Current storage spaces are not adequate to meet the needs of the Chemistry Department and of Dalhousie.

The project will replace existing chemical stores in the basement of the Chemistry Department. It also will house the award-winning Chemical Exchange Program. The program gathers surplus chemicals from research and other programs on campus and makes them available free for others to use. The program is a recipient of the Quality and Productivity Award from the Canadian Association of University Business Officers. The facility also will house a small lab for chemical waste disposal. The current budget for the facility is $6.11 million and it is hoped that construction can begin in May. 

This project was taken to an internal meeting of the Dalhousie community in the fall of 2006 and also to a neighbourhood meeting. The estimated date for completion of the project is December of this year. It should be operational by the spring of 2008.