Construction workers removed much of the scaffolding from Weld Hall's exterior yesterday, giving University officials reason to anticipate completion of the building's renovation by the December 31 deadline.

Claude J. LeBlanc, general superintendent of the project, said even though the deadline is less than two months away, the building will be ready for students by intersession.

LeBlanc said yesterday marked the completion of work to Weld's east exterior, a job that planners had hoped to have finished before the arrival of winter weather.

"Our race against cold weather was with the exterior work," LeBlanc said. "There is concrete work still to be done outside, but we don't anticipate any problems."

Scott Levitan, assistant vice president for construction and planning, said the repairs on Weld must be completed by the beginning of January so that the 144 residents of Matthews have ample time to move in before renovations of that dorm begin in February.

The work on Weld began last summer and is only a small part of the renovation of 17 dorms in Harvard Yard.

Levitan said the large-scale project is being overseen by a committee with representatives from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Real Estate, Harvard University Planning and the Facilities Maintenance Department.

LeBlanc said that although the Weld project is on schedule, the project has not been free of difficulty.

"The exterior was a little more difficult than we first anticipated, but we knew all along that we were on a very tight schedule," LeBlanc said. "This is a complete rehabilitation. There are hidden conditions that you run against that you wouldn't run into in a brand new construction."

Further Difficulties?

He said that construction on the building could be extended from six days per week to seven if further difficulties arise.

Peter J. Riley, the construction administrator from Harvard Real Estate, said that the workers will now focus on the building's interior, although they must complete portions of the west roof and some exterior masonry.

Riley said that in the coming weeks, workers will make Weld's east entrance wheel-chair accessible and install a hydraulic elevator.

In addition, new stairways and hardwood floors will be installed and workers will improve the building'splumbing, heating, wiring, plaster and paint, hesaid.

Riley said he expected the elevator to becompleted by mid-November and the rest of theinterior by the third week of December. But headded that the exact timing is uncertain.

"All of our dates are really approximatebecause we're doing a whole lot of things atonce," Riley said.

Riley also emphasized the importance ofaesthetics upon completion of the renovations.

"We want to quickly restore the site," he said."It's important to us to have it look good...bythe time the students move in."

Levitan said that renovations of all but fourdormitories--Weld, Matthews, Thayer andGrays--were either completed last summer or willbe completed next summer.

Thayer will be renovated next fall, followed byGrays in the spring. The building at 29 Garden St.will house first-years again next year toaccommodate these projects