MU to seal off decks at Tara Apartments

The University of Missouri is closing access to decks at a school-owned apartment complex because of what they found during an inspection.

The engineering firm Traubue, Hansen & Hinshaw, hired to inspect all of the school’s facilities, wants to take a closer look at the wooden decks at the Tara Apartments.

The complex is located on Ashland Road, just northeast of Stadium Drive and College Avenue.

MU officials said the decks are weathered and worn after seeing decades of snow and thunderstorms.

The inspector’s report said in 2012 Tara Apartments needed $5 million worth of repairs, but didn’t mention the decks.

Jon Baumstark moved into Tara Apartments in August and said the deck is an amenity he rarely uses.

“We’re never even out here much, but it’s nice to store stuff,” said Baumstark.

Baumstark showed ABC 17 News an email the University sent him this morning, asking him to clear off his deck.

Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, crews will seal off the doors to the decks to further inspect them.

MU spokesman Christian Basi said the engineering firm Traubue, Hanson, and Hinshaw inspected Tara Apartments after the walkway collapsed at University Village Apartments.

While engineers cleared the inside of Tara for problems, they had questions about the decks.

“They asked us, as a precaution, to seal the decks off so they would have appropriate amount of time to do a very thorough inspection of those decks, and to see if any work needs to be done,” Basi said.

Basi said inspections will last through the school’s spring break, which starts next week.

The email to residents states the decks may be closed longer, depending on what the firm finds.

Construction began on the apartments in 1982.

Basi couldn’t confirm if the decks had received any work since.