When you’re planning on putting tens of millions of dollars into a new construction development, the last thing you want to hear is that your future building is in danger of blowing up.
So we can imagine that USC wasn’t too happy recently when they detected methane gas, which has a tendency towards exploding and suffocating people, underneath the space where a new football practice facility was recently planned.
In addition to the $17.6 million being poured into the project, it will take around $300,000 alone to add vents and membranes to deal with the methane.
While we’re far from experts when it comes to construction, surely checking for potentially explosive, deadly gases should be one of the first things on the agenda, especially in an area that was once a landfill, as methane can be created when trash breaks down underneath soil over extended periods of time.
While construction on former landfills is common for many outdoor-focused public areas like parks and playgrounds, that is no excuse for failing to make sure the entire place won’t go up in flames as a result of carelessness.
We understand the necessity of constructing these new sports facilities. Successful student athletes are a prized commodity in the world of college athletics, and brand-new practice areas certainly don’t hurt when the time for recruitment comes around.
But prospective college superstars usually enjoy their practice facilities fully intact, generally unexploded and without danger of suffocation.
It’s a lucky thing that the methane was discovered at an early stage, rather than after actual construction had begun. But with such a large investment on the line, it doesn’t hurt to make sure that these kinds of hidden costs are accounted for at the start.