Until an assessment is performed on the property, university officials remain unsure if bats are still in 29 Park Place.
It is unclear whether bats are still residing in 29 Park Place after President Roderick McDavis and his wife, Deborah, moved out of the residence earlier this month.
The couple moved to 31 Coventry Lane after bats caused Deborah to break her foot.
“(Whether bats are present) will not be known until the structure has had a complete assessment,” said Chad Keller, Environmental Health Coordinator, in an email. “While the accessible areas of the building have been inspected there are inaccessible voids that may or may not be harboring colonies.”
As of Thursday, officials say they will perform that assessment in the coming months.
Both little and big brown bats have been found in 29 Park Place, Keller said.
Bats have been found 16 times over the last 11 years, according to a previous Post report. Keller estimates between 80 to 120 bats are found each year on campus.
“All buildings get the priority response,” said Joseph Lalley, senior associate vice president of Technologies and Administrative Services, and officials use “appropriate safety precautions” when dealing with bats.
San Antonio-based Commercial Bat Control, which specializes in bat exclusion work on large structures, has previously handled bats in OU residence halls, Keller said.
The company has been used to remove bats from O’Bleness House, Tiffin hall and Gamertsfelder hall.
Keller or trained staff members from OU’s Environmental Health and Safety will remove single bats from campus buildings using a catch net, heavy leather gloves and a holding can, Keller said.
“In locations of known colonies, the entrances are identified and one-way portals are installed allowing the colony to leave the building but not re-enter,” he said.
The residence at 29 Park Place is located on a 1.3-acre lot and was constructed in 1899 as a private home for coal mine owner Clinton L. Poston, according to documents from the Robert E. and Jean R. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections.
John Baker was the first president to live at 29 Park Place in 1952. Presidents Vernon Alden, Claude Sowle, Harry Crewson, Charles Ping, Robert Glidden and Roderick McDavis have all lived in the residence.
In the 1920s, the home belonged to Thomas and Grace Biddle, during which time it underwent major renovations. Thomas Biddle was an OU trustee from 1900 to 1951 and Grace Biddle, formerly Grace Poston, was the daughter of Clinton Poston, who built the residence.
In 1951, the university purchased the home from Grace Biddle.
Major renovations were also done to 29 Park Place from 1994 to 1995, while Robert Glidden occupied the residence as president.
Those renovations included: asbestos removal, electrical and plumbing system replacements, the addition of air-conditioning and connection to the university’s central heating system, refinished and sanded floors, the addition of new carpet, enclosement of a screened-in porch and kitchen and third floor remodeling.
The renovation cost approximately $620,000 at the time.
“If the Board of Trustees determines that 29 Park Place has a higher and better use and they want a future president to live in Athens … 31 Coventry Lane represents an option that can be exercised at the appropriate time,” Stephen Golding, vice president for Finance and Administration said in a letter to The Post sent Saturday.
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