Penn State and Turner Construction Company are trying to reach an agreement about quiet hours for the construction of Eastview Terrace.

According to the project's Web site, construction should cease between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.

However, the wrong hours were posted on the Web site and students may be mislead by the information, said Chad Henning, assistant director of housing for Pollock and South Halls.

Many students said the construction begins around 6:30 a.m.

Because plans for quiet hours were not included in the contract, the construction company is allowed to begin working whenever it needs to.

When Penn State hires an independent contractor such as Turner Construction, it gives the company a deadline and the company is in charge of deciding how they will complete the work by that deadline, said Milton Trask, assistant director of special projects in the human resources department.

Turner Construction is allowed to decide its own hours, including start and finish times, unless specified in the contract, Trask said.

Quiet hours were not specified in the original contract, said Paul Ruskin, Office of Physical Plant (OPP) spokesman.

Now Penn State is trying to reach a compromise with the company about construction hours, Ruskin said.

Henning said, "We've had some issues and have been receiving student complaints."

Penn State is hoping to arrange quiet hours between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., he said.

In a meeting with Turner Construction on Thursday, the company officials said they understood the proposed hours, said Larry Bair, OPP project manager for Eastview Terrace. However, the workers are pressured to complete the project on time, so the company has been extending hours.

"If we don't get those roofs on by Christmas, we're in trouble," Bair said.

Representatives from Turner Construction did not return repeated calls.

Construction is accelerated during holidays and semester breaks, Ruskin said.

He added, it is difficult to create the best facilities for students while school is in session.

"It is like trying to build an airplane while it's in flight," he said.

Some South Hall residents are disturbed by the construction, but others understand the reasons behind the interruptions.

"It's really loud and it's really hard to sleep," said Derrick Showers (sophomore-communications), a resident of Lyons Hall.

The drilling starts at around 7 a.m. and goes until 6 p.m., he said.

Showers said it would be better if the construction started later in the day and worked later into the night because students are usually not trying to sleep at 6 p.m.

"The beeping never stops," said Katherine Dobash (sophomore-French education), a resident of Cooper Hall, referring to the noise the machines make while backing up.

Some students are starting to get used to the noise, while others still can't stand it.

"It wakes us up every morning," said Diana Carey (freshman-accounting). "I hear the beeping and think it's my alarm clock."

Emily Satteson (junior-nursing) said the noise has not been bad in the morning for her, but during the day it can get very loud and can make studying difficult.

Overall, she feels the university has tried to minimize problems as much as possible, Satteson said. "It's a necessary evil we have to deal with," she said.

Bair said he understood the students positions.

"We're all trying to make the best out of a bad situation," he said.