A $1,000 reward has been posted at the Maple Hall construction site for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspected vandal.

Project Manager Wayne Brugger said the contractor, Stanley Design Build, will reward the money out of its own funds because it is the company’s responsibility to protect the building until work is completed.

“We want to make a firm statement that we are not going to put up with it,” he said. “We want people to know we mean business.”

Last week, after several incidents of vandalism were reported, a joint decision was made between contractors and ISU officials to hire the Per Mar Security Services, of Des Moines, to watch the renovated residence hall at night.

James Judy, assistant director of planning for the Department of Residence, said the incidents have been minor, but construction crews have fallen a bit behind as a result of the pranks on the site.

The vandalism has consisted of missing tools, electrical shortages and roof leaks due to piping problems.

The pranks have ruined some of the finished work, and crews have had to redo finished sections of the building, Judy said.

“We can’t prove the damage was caused by vandals or pranksters; we can only assume,” Judy said.

Although the incidents have been minor, Judy said crews are too far into construction to take any chances.

“We can’t take any chances that won’t allow us to open the building on time,” Judy said.

Department of Public Safety Capt. Rob Bowers said he believes the perpetrator was someone who had access to the building rather than someone breaking in.

“We have reason to believe the perpetrator also had construction knowledge,” he said.

Randy Alexander, director of the Department of Residence, said the perpetrator has not been identified yet, but no further incidents have been reported since the reward was posted.

Although Per Mar secures the building after 5 p.m., DPS patrols the area during the day as well.

“We do not patrol the area all day, but we do random walk-throughs of the building,” Bowers said. “We plan on doing this until construction is completed.”

Judy said although the incidents are not typical for this area, they are not uncommon for some construction sites.

“When construction crews are on a rigorous schedule like we are, security becomes much tighter,” he said.

Crews are in the final stages of construction and are working hard to get in the position to open the building on time, he said.

“Everyone is a little tense right now because construction is at its peak,” Judy said.

“Sometimes it feels like we are in the final seconds of a football game,” he said. “We really want to make a good showing for the university.”

Brugger said the security is a good idea because it not only provides protection for the building, but also for the people who are around the construction site.

“We have 107 people on this site who are working lots of overtime to get the building finished on time,” he said.

“We have to work in a safe, coordinated manner in order to reach our goals.”