The main stairwell in the Health and Life Sciences Building closed this week because of loose wood on some of the steps.

Maurice Chaput, AACC’s executive director of administrative services, said the wood is loose in a few places and has led to closing the staircase multiple times since the building opened in August.

“When you build a 175,000-square-foot building, some things just don’t turn out perfect initially, and that’s why we have warranties,” Chaput said. He said the repairs will be finished by the end of the week and will not cost the college anything.

Second-year nursing student Sonia Khurmi said it’s depressing that the stairwell is closed again.

“You’re already tired from going to clinicals,” Khurmi said. “Going to work and then coming from work and then not having the stairs that are working properly, then you just have to keep waiting for the elevators to come through.”

She said she likes to walk up the stairs for exercise. “But then if it’s not working, it’s hard,” Khurmi said. “You want to do your steps, but then you can’t burn off the calories.”

Second-year nursing student Yasi Sheikh said the closed stairwell doesn’t affect her.

“I don’t really mind too much,” Sheikh said. “There’s another set of stairs and there’s elevators.”

The building has four staircases.