From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject:  Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #11
Posted: February 24, 2006

Mardi Gras update!  With a little good fortune, we are on the verge of being able to reopen the MEB and the Lion’s/LSU Clinics buildings.  The environmental remediation in the upper floors of the MEB has been completed and preliminary air monitoring results are good.  Final test results are due back early next week and no problems are anticipated.  The State Fire Marshal is expected to complete his inspection on Wednesday, March 1^st and no problems are expected.  Reopening of the building with a manual fire watch is anticipated on Monday, March 6^th.

The last repaired main breaker for the electrical switchgear at the Lion’s/LSU Clinics building has been received.  Within the next 4-5 days, the power in the building will be taken down, the switchgear cleaned, the refurbished main breaker replaced and permanent power restored. 

If the planned cleaning of the switchgear and the reinstallation of the refurbished main breaker goes as planned, we anticipate the reopening of the Lion’s/LSU Clinic Building on Monday, March 6^th as well.

Progress on making repairs to the elevators in the downtown campus buildings has been accelerating.  Most of the parts required for the repairs have now arrived and the additional out of state crews dedicated to the LSUHSC repair work are expediting the completion of this work.  The repairs to the emergency power generators that serve the downtown campus buildings are under contract and work on the repairs begins early next week.  

The architect/engineering firm responsible for the Dental School campus is completing specifications for temporary repairs to key building systems that, when completed, will allow the re-occupancy of upper floors of the Clinic and Administration buildings.   The repairs will focus on the building switch gear, chillers, key building pumps, clinic systems, and safety systems.  The architects are currently using expedited procurement processes to secure contractors to complete this temporary repair work.  The first of the bid packages has been prepared and released to prospective contractors.  This will address the temporary repairs to the building electrical systems.

Work on the environmental remediation contract for the CSRB, MEB and Lion’s Eye Center has progressed rapidly.  The contractor has multiple teams working in the buildings simultaneously.  Significant portions of the upper floor cleaning required by State protocols has been completed.  The more time consuming work in the 1^st floor spaces is well underway. 

Pricing is currently being solicited by the downtown campus architect for the second environmental remediation contract.  It will address the Residence Hall, Stanislaus Hall, the Nursing/Allied Health Building, and the Resource Center.  The architect currently anticipates that work under this contract will begin during the week following Mardi Gras.  Similar contracts will be issued at later dates to address the Dental School Clinic and Administration Buildings and 1542 Tulane Ave. and other smaller structures.

The following is a brief description of the basic work that will be done by the environmental remediation contractors:

• The environmental remediation process provides for the demolition, removal and disposal of building materials that were flooded or found to harbor mold spores or other biological hazards.   This is in addition to all of the cleaning and disposal of flood damage materials that has already been accomplished through earlier contracts.
• The standard protocol for environmental remediation also provides for the cleaning and disinfecting of the interior spaces; wiping down hard surfaces (walls, doors, stairwells, light fixtures, ceilings, etc.), vacuuming, etc.   They will also be replacing filters, cleaning and disinfecting the air handling unit coils and the interiors of air handling units.
• On the 1^st floors or in basements where flood water was present, the demolition will typically include removal of drywall to a height of 7 feet, floor coverings as needed (that were not previously removed by an earlier contract), ceiling tiles as needed, etc.  Removal of asbestos tiles and the mastic is also included as necessary.  Floors and solid walls (masonry & granite) will be cored to determine if water penetrated and remediation is required.  Metal studs and other structural walls will initially remain and be cleaned and disinfected.  Many metal studs will require replacement, but that will be done as part of the permanent repairs.  Before the demolition begins, the 1^st floor spaces will be sealed off to prevent migration of any contaminants that may become airborne during the demolition.
• When completed, the contract will provide us with unrestricted access to the cleaned spaces in the upper floors, and spaces on the 1^st floors will be clean and ready for the permanent renovation work. 

Telephone Services:  Auxiliary Enterprises has been assessing the telephone services at the various campus buildings.  Working in concert with the State’s Office of Telecommunications Management (OTM) and BellSouth, the damage is being identified and repairs have begun as reflected below:

• The testing of BellSouth trunk lines serving the major buildings has been completed.  Repair needs have been identified and BellSouth is scheduling the needed work.
• The connection panels (demarks) in each building between the trunk lines and the individual lines feeding the offices and spaces in the buildings have been inspected.  BellSouth has identified those demarks that they require to be elevated when they are repaired or reinstalled. 
• Where telephone service is currently available to a building, testing of individual circuits (telephones) will begin.  Where necessary, individual repair tickets will be opened with OTM.

Data Network:  Computer Services has been testing the network infrastructure that connects the data center to the various downtown campus buildings and provides data circuits to individual offices, labs, and other spaces. 

• The fiber (or cable) that connects each building has been tested and verified as operable.
• The core switches in each major downtown campus building have been inspected and proposals to secure new core switches (where necessary) are being prepared. 
  • CSRB:  The core switches were damaged, but the repairs have been completed and connectivity has been restored to the building.
  • Lion’s Eye Center:  The core switches were damaged and must be replaced.  A proposal to affect the needed repairs has been completed and the parts will be ordered soon.
  • MEB: The core switches were not damaged by the flood waters and connectivity can be reestablished as soon as the HVAC is made available to the telecom closet.
  • Residence Hall:  Network connectivity is available to the building. 
  • Stanislaus Hall:  Wireless access point on the roof was damaged, but has been repaired.  Connectivity has been restored. 
  • Nursing/Allied Health:  The network is intact and connectivity can be re-established as soon as stable electricity and HVAC are available to the telecom closets.
  • Resource Center:  The core switches were located on the 7^th floor and were not damaged. 
  • Dental School Campus:  The visual inspection of the core switches has just begun.

 Campus Housing:  We recognize the importance of making the two campus residence facilities available as quickly as possible.  Particularly in the case of the Residence Hall, the challenges represented by older building designs and systems are unique and different.  Some of these factors may impact on the time to complete the work necessary to allow the building to be reoccupied.  However, significant progress has been made in preparing both the Residence Hall and Stanislaus Hall for reoccupation.  For example:

• Both buildings are part of the 2^nd environmental remediation contract that is currently out on bid.  Current plans are to have the contract in place and work underway during the week after Mardi Gras.  The Residence Hall is to be the 1^st priority for the contractor, followed by Stanislaus Hall and the Nursing/Allied Health Building, and finally the Resource Center.
• Elevator repairs have been underway at both facilities for some time and continue to be monitored closely.   The repairs to all 4 elevators at Stanislaus Hall are substantially complete and the State Elevator Inspector will be asked to conduct the inspections soon.  One of the tower elevators is working at the Residence Hall, but has not yet been certified for passenger use. 
• The electrical switchgear repairs have been completed at the Residence Hall.  The switchgear at Stanislaus Hall was not damaged.
• Repairs to the fire pump at the Residence Hall have been completed.  The fire alarm panel was not damaged.
• Repairs to the fire alarm system at Stanislaus Hall have been completed.  The fire pump was not damaged.
• The repairs to the emergency generators serving the downtown campus (including both of these buildings) have been placed under contract.  Work should begin on Monday, 2/27/06.
• Heating and cooling are available in the Residence Hall.  Domestic hot and cold water is also available.
• Heating and cooling are available in Stanislaus Hall.  The domestic (hot and cold) water pump is on order and shipment of the pump is scheduled for 3/13.  The new basement sump pumps are being installed.
• Network connectivity has been restored to the upper floors of Stanislaus Hall.

Here are highlights of work that has been accomplished since our last update was posted on Friday, February 10^th.

• The solicitation for a second environmental remediation contract addressing the Nursing/Allied Health Building, the Residence Hall, Stanislaus Hall and the Resource Center has been issued by the architect.  At the direction of the Office of Facility Planning & Control, they are utilizing an expedited solicitation process, so a contract award may be made quickly.  We are hopeful that work may begin on this contract during the week following Mardi Gras.
• Most of the repair parts for elevators at the downtown campus have arrived and the permanent repairs to individual elevators continue at an accelerated pace.   Two of the major elevator contractors have brought in additional manpower from out of state to dedicate to completing repairs at the Health Sciences Center.  The elevator contractors continue their work at:
  • CSRB
  • MEB
  • Lion’s Eye Center
  • Nursing/Allied Health
  • Resource Center (two have been certified for use)
  • Stanislaus Hall (work completed on all 4 elevators, and the inspection will be requested shortly)
  • Residence Hall
  • Entergy/Gravier St. Garage

Until permanent repairs are completed and elevators certified by the State Elevator Inspector, routine use has been discontinued.  Restricting the use of elevators in buildings where the environmental remediation has not been completed will help to minimize further spreading of mold to upper floors.

• The contractor completed the work in the Dental School basement to remove flood damaged building materials, where particularly challenging conditions were present.  We are now able to enter the basement without wearing any personal protective equipment.
• Work has been completed under the contract to make permanent repairs to the switchgear in the CSRB, MEB, Nursing/Allied Health Building and the Residence Hall.  Only the final repairs to the Lion’s Eye Center remain to be done.  The status of repairs in each building are listed below:
  • CSRB:  Completed. 
  • MEB: Completed.   
  • Nursing/Allied Health:  Completed.
  •  Residence Hall: Completed.
  • Lion’s Eye Center: The last of the two main switchgear breakers has been refurbished and delivered.  Within the next 4-5 days the power to the building will be brought down, the switchgear cleaned, the refurbished main breaker installed and permanent building power restored.
• School of Dentistry restoration:  Regular weekly meetings with representatives from the architectural/engineering firms, the Office of Facility Planning & Control, FEMA and LSUHSC have continued and will remain as a scheduled item for some time.  
  • The architect/engineering firm responsible for the Dental School campus has completed specifications for temporary repairs to key building systems that, when completed, will allow the re-occupancy of upper floors of the Clinic and Administration buildings.   The repairs will focus on the building switch gear, chillers, key building pumps, clinic systems, and safety systems.  The architects are currently using an expedited procurement process to secure contractors to complete this temporary repair work. 
  • The 1^st of the bid packages for temporary repairs to building systems at the Dental School has been completed.  It addresses the basic repairs to the building electrical systems. An expedited procurement process is being used and the pre-bid walk through was held on site today.
  • The initial focus for the project continues to be the rapid design and completion of emergency work necessary to allow the rapid re-occupation of upper floors of the Administration and Clinic buildings.
• Downtown campus restoration:  Regular weekly meetings with representatives from the architectural/engineering firms, the Office of Facility Planning & Control, FEMA and LSUHSC have continued and will remain as a scheduled item for some time. 
  • Significant efforts have been made recently to develop potential options for hazard mitigation.  Initial discussions with FEMA about some of the concepts proposed have occurred and were well received.  We anticipate that a decision between two primary options for hazard mitigation of the flood damaged animal care spaces and critical mechanical & electrical systems of several buildings should be made soon.  Once the decision has been made, the architects & engineers will begin refining their designs/plans and develop the necessary cost estimates to allow FEMA to more carefully review the proposal.
  • Pricing is currently being solicited by the architect for the second environmental remediation contract.  It will address the Residence Hall, Stanislaus Hall, the Nursing/Allied Health Building, and the Resource Center.  The architect currently anticipates that work under this contract will begin during the week following Mardi Gras. 
• Contracts have been awarded for the repairs to various types of pumps to supply water and heat to the Residence Hall, MEB, CSRB, Lion’s Eye Center, Nursing/Allied Health, and Resource Center.  Parts have been ordered and work is expected to begin on the repairs as parts begin to arrive in late February and early March.  LSUHSC has provided the contractors with the list of priorities by building for these repairs; however the availability of some parts may impact on the ability to strictly adhere to the priorities.
• The contract for the repair/replacement of fire pumps in the Nursing/Allied Health Bldg, the Residence Hall, the Resource Center, the CSRB, the Lion’s Eye Center and the MEB is complete.  The status of repairs in each building are listed below:
  • CSRB: Completed and inspected.
  • MEB:  Completed and inspected.   
  • Lion’s Eye Center:  Completed and inspected.   
  • Nursing/Allied Health:  Completed and inspected.
  • Resource Center:  Completed and inspected.
  • Residence Hall:  Completed and inspected.
• Contracts to repair the fire alarm systems and their components in downtown campus buildings have been awarded to the vendors who currently provide annual maintenance to the systems.  This approach will insure that the systems can be re-certified and remain under the existing maintenance contract.  Several of the systems have been repaired and inspected and work continues in the remaining buildings. 
  • Stanislaus Hall:  Completed and inspected. 
  • CSRB:  Completed and inspected.
  • MEB: Work has been started and is scheduled to be completed by March 10^th.
  • Lion’s Eye Center:  Completed and inspected.
  • Nursing/Allied Health:  The contract has been awarded for the repairs to the fire alarm system.  Work is expected to being shortly as parts become available.
  • Resource Center:  The repairs required for the fire alarm system have been identified and the contract has been issued. 
• A contract remains in place to address the repairs to Animal Care cage washers, bottle washers and sterilizers at the CSRB.  The work on the repairs is almost complete.  The steam generators have been installed and the contract has begun troubleshooting the systems.  Additional damage to a pump in the system has been discovered and a Change Order to the original contract has been issued.
• The contract for the repairs to the emergency generators at the CSRB, MEB, Lion’s Eye Center, Nursing/Allied Health Bldg., Resource Center and the Residence Hall has been awarded.  Work on the repairs will begin on Monday, 2/27/06.
• A contract has been issued for repairs to the medical air compressors, vacuum pumps and water purifiers at the CSRB, Lion’s Eye Center and the MEB.   Parts are on order and repairs will begin as soon as the parts begin to arrive.

We hope that you continue to find this information helpful.  Don’t forget that Daily Updates are also posted on the web site so that you can follow the recovery progress more closely.