From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject: Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #62
Posted: February 15, 2008

Our first major project for permanent repairs and mitigation is about to get underway. Construction Masters, Inc. and representatives from all their sub-contractors attended the pre-construction conference on 2/7/08 along with representatives of LSUHSC, the Office of Facility Planning and Control, the LSU Systems Office and the architects. The contractors are working on their schedule for sequencing the work and we are coordinating with the academic departments that currently use space where the initial demolition will occur.

All nine contracts for the building demolitions on the back campus of the Dental School have been executed and the coordination and staging of the work (with three separate contractors) is underway. Work is expected to begin as early as the beginning of next week. The Dental School leadership has been kept abreast of the specific plans and timelines.

Two weeks ago, we were able to report good progress on both of the permanent roof replacement projects; one at the MEB and one addressing the Dental School Clinic and Administration Buildings and the Power Plant. While progress has continued, we experienced two major rain events during the past week and each caused significant leaks and damage. The Dental School leak (2/12/08) damaged the freight elevator and it was taken out of service. The contractor estimates a 6-8 week repair. Late this evening (2/15/08), rain at the downtown campus leaked through some roof penetrations at the MEB and damaged a critical bus duct and feeders supplying emergency power to portions of the upper floors of the building. Emergency repairs are already underway.

FEMA continues their review and the preparations of the final recommendations on the two proposals to make permanent repairs and complete hazard mitigation work at the Resource Center, the Residence Hall and the Allied Health/Nursing Building. A few additional questions were raised recently and the architects were able to respond quickly. The FEMA Health & Research team is reviewing the latest data and we are hopeful that they can complete their recommended PW versions and Hazard Mitigation Proposals (HMPs) for these three buildings and move them into next level of FEMA review queues for approval and obligation. The downtown architects are working to complete the Construction Document submissions on these buildings so that when the PW’s and HMP’s are approved, the bid documents will be ready to be issued.

The FEMA Health and Research team has completed their revisions to the draft Section 406 Hazard Mitigation proposal for the CSRB/MEB. Their revised draft is now under review within the FEMA hierarchy. The project would build a full height addition to the back of the CSRB which would provide space for elevating the vivarium functions from the MEB and CSRB. The addition will also allow space for critical mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) equipment to be elevated from the 1^st Floor of the CSRB, and provide for a bank of emergency generators that would be able to provide temporary power to the surrounding campus buildings to maintain basic environmental controls, critical data network components, and research refrigerators and freezers. The concept also elevates some critical MEP within the MEB, and makes basic repairs to the 1^st Floors of both buildings, using wet flood proofing techniques to limit damage in another flood event.

The design team working at the Dental School finished their design concept for the permanent repairs and HMP and submitted it to us on 2/15/08. LSUHSC and GOHSEP are reviewing the draft and will send comments back to the joint venture to be incorporated into the submission. We have finished our work with the GOHSEP Hazard Mitigation specialist on a package of information to accompany the design concept when it goes to FEMA. With this document, we are attempting to proactively answer the types of questions that we anticipate will be generated by this large and complex proposal.

The schematic design package for the permanent repairs and hazard mitigation at 1542 Tulance Ave. was submitted by the architects approximately two weeks ago. This submission is an expansion of the initial design concept and provides additional details to FEMA and GOHSEP. The GOHSEP 406 Hazard Mitigation specialist has reviewed the documents and has formally submitted them to FEMA. Key to this proposal is the construction of an elevated addition that will house all the critical mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment that was previously located in the basement. While the FEMA review of these documents is being completed, the architects will be working on the Design/Development submissions that will be used for the final review and approval of the project by FEMA.

The work at 1542 Tulane Ave. to prepare the front portion of the building to be re-occupied continues. Ducts have been cleaned and are now being sealed with an encapsulant that will help to minimize future mold growth and the spread of particulate matter. Holes cut in the ducts to provide access for the cleaning are being sealed. All of the building debris has been removed from the front and center sections of the building. The crews are now working in the rear (old) section of the building which will not be put back into use immediately. All of the damaged carpet has been removed and much of the floor tile is gone as well. The task of removing the vast amounts of peeling paint from ceilings and walls has been daunting. Every surface that has paint removed must also be floated, primed and re-painted to seal the walls and prevent any further peeling. However, the contractor is making good progress. Furniture to replace the items that were damaged by mold and removed is being coordinated with the School of Medicine and many items have already been ordered.

Here are highlights of work that has been accomplished since our last update was posted two weeks ago.

Lions/LSU Clinic Permanent Repairs:

• Our first major project for permanent repairs and mitigation is about to get underway. The contract for the permanent repairs and Section 406 Hazard Mitigation to the building has been executed by Construction Masters, Inc.
  • The pre-construction conference was held on February 7th with representatives of the contractor, the sub-contractors, the Office of Facility Planning & Control, the LSU Systems Office and LSUHSC.
  • The contractor is preparing his plans for sequencing the work and we are coordinating with the academic departments who have faculty and staff in the spaces scheduled for some of the initial demolition work.
  • Work on some of the demolition may begin as early as next week.
• The scope of the contract includes:
  • Re-building the Isadore Cohn Learning Center on the 6th Floor.
  • Relocating an existing research lab from the 6th Floor to the 7th Floor.
    • The 6th Floor lab will remain in operation until the replacement lab on the 7th Floor is ready for use.
  • Moving the critical mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment to the 2nd Floor.
  • Constructing an exterior stairwell on the front of the building to provide adequate egress from the new Learning Center.
  • The restoration of the public areas of the 1st Floor that will use surfaces that will resist damage from flood waters.
  • The dry-flood proofing of the building elevator pits.
  • Roof repairs.

Repair Work at 1542 Tulane Ave.:

• Fire Alarm System:
  • Siemens has completed the trouble-shooting of the fire alarm wiring on the 6th Floor.
  • They have programmed the fire alarm devices on the 6th Floor and cleared all the trouble codes.
  • All the trouble codes have been cleared on the 7th and 8th Floors, and in the penthouse.
  • Siemens is trouble shooting new ground faults for the fire alarm wiring in the basement on the fire pump and dry-pipe sprinkler system that serves the parking garage.
  • They are resetting trouble codes on the 1st Floor.
• Elevator Repairs:
  • Elevator #1:
    • Stratos Elevator has installed the safeties.
    • They are installing the hoist cables, whisper cables and rigging equipment.
  • Elevator #7:
    • Stratos has begun installing the Position Indicators in the elevator lobbies.
  • Elevator #8:
    • They are wiring the controller on Elevator #8.
    • Stratos has begun installing the Position Indicators in the elevator lobbies.
• Final Remediation and Duct Cleaning:
  • Duct Cleaning Status:
    • Zimmer finished sealing the ducts on the 4th Floor.
    • Zimmer has coated the ducts on the 3rd Floor and has sealed the holes that were cut into the ducts.
    • Zimmer has coated the ducts on the 2nd Floor with an anti-microbial solution and has sealed the access holes that were cut into the 2nd Floor ducts.
    • Zimmer finished removing the transite exhaust ducts on the 6th, 7th and 8th Floors.
    • They have begun removing the transite ducts on the 5th Floor.
• Debris Removal
  • Zimmer continued to remove debris in the rear of the building (old section).
• Final Remediation/Cleaning:
  • Zimmer finished removing the peeling paint and cleaning on the 7th Floor in the rear of the building (old section) on the I-10 side.
    • The 7th floor (old section - Charity side), passed the visual inspection and air samples were taken.
  • Zimmer finished cleaning and paint removal on the 6th Floor in the rear of the building (old section) on the Charity side.
    • The area passed the visual inspection and is being scheduled for mold sampling.
    • The contractor began cleaning the I-10 side of the 6th Floor (old section).
  • The contractor finished installing the new sheetrock on the 8th Floor to replace the drywall that was removed during the mold remediation.
  • The contractor finished installing the new sheetrock on the 6th Floor to replace the drywall that was removed during the mold remediation.
  • The new sheetrock installed on Floors 6 & 8 have been taped and floated.
  • The contractor continues to install new sheetrock on the 7th Floor.
• Painting:
  • The contractor primed the walls on the 7th Floor.
    • They have cut in with the finish paint throughout the floor.
    • They have spayed on the finish coat in the corridors.
    • They are spraying on the finish coat in the offices and conference rooms.
  • The contractor floated and primed the walls on the 6th Floor.
    • They have cut in with the finish paint.
    • They have sprayed on the finish coat in the corridors.
    • They are applying the finish coat in the offices and conference rooms.
  • The contractor has floated and primed the walls on the 5th Floor.
    • The contractor has cut in with the finish paint.
    • They are applying the finish coat in the corridors.
  • The painters finished floating and prepping the walls on the 4th Floor.
• Floor Tile Removal:
  • Zimmer has removed the damaged floor tile and mastic from the 3rd Floor in the corridors and offices along Tulane Avenue and in the "A section" (over the garage).
    • The area passed the visual inspection and samples have been taken.
  • Zimmer finished removing the floor tiles in the center corridor on the 3rd Floor.
    • The contractor is prepping the area for a visual inspection.
• Ceiling Tile Replacement:
  • The contractor completed the installation of new ceiling grid "tees" on the 6th, 7th, and 8th Floors to convert the existing 2' x 4' ceilings to 2' x 2' ceilings.
    • The contractor is also removing and replacing any damaged ceiling grid.
• Network Closets:
  • Trison finished sealing the wall and ceiling penetrations in the new network closets.
    • Network closet construction is complete with the exception of the installation of new HVAC grilles.
  • Boe-tel finished terminating the new network cables on the 7th Floor.
  • They finished removing old network wire mold on the 6th Floor.
  • They have removed the old network wire mold on the 5th Floor.
  • Boe-tel removed the old network wire mold on the 4th Floor.
    • They are pulling new cable on the 4th Floor.
  • Boe-Tel is removing the old wire mold from the 3rd Floor.
  • Boe-Tel is pulling new network wires from office stations to the new network closet on the 1st Floor.
    • They finished installing the final components of the network rack on the 1st Floor.
  • Boe-Tel began installing network drops in the offices on the 1st Floor.

Repair Work at the Dental School:

• Roof Replacement:
  • Needham Roofing removed approximately 230 squares (100 square feet per square) of the old roofing from the Administration Building.

• They installed the first ply of the new roof over the same area.

• Needham Roofing substantially completed the tear off and the installation of the first ply of the new roof on the balcony of the Clinic Building.
• Needham Roofing began installing the flashing around the perimeter of the Administration Building roof.
• Needham Roofing is installing the pitch pans on the Clinic Building roof around the various penetrations through the roof.
• They also assessed the roof leaks that were revealed by the heavy rains earlier in the week and began to prepare for the forecasted weather this weekend.
  • Needham Roofing re-flashed sections at the perimeters of the Clinic and Administration Building roofs.
  • They tore off and applied the 1st ply completing the tie in where the scaffolding rested on the roof over the breezeway.
  • They also split and patched wrinkles in the roof material on both buildings to thwart possible leaks.

• Temporary Bookstore:
  • Sherlocks Construction finished the carpet and ceiling tile installation in the hall between the temporary bookstore and the Library.
  • They also removed the temporary dust partition inside the Library and erected a temporary wall in the new corridor to block access from the Library to the work site.
  • Sherlocks continued installing sheet rock on the walls for the temporary bookstore.
    • As the sheet rock is installed, they are taping and floating the walls.
  • The carpet has been cut in around the new walls and the wall base has been installed.
  • The contractor worked on closing up the ceiling in the temporary bookstore; installing the remaining ceiling grid and tiles.
  • They continued balancing the air supply for the new space.
  • Sherlocks pulled data/telephone wires and wired outlets for the temporary bookstore.

• Elevator Repairs:
  • Elevator #3:
    • The repairs and upgrades to Elevator #3 have been completed.
      • The elevator is now in service.
      • Schindler is installing the hall lanterns for this elevator in the floor lobbies.
  • Elevator #4:
    • The repairs and upgrades to Elevator #4 have been completed.
      • The elevator is now in service.
      • Schindler is installing the hall lanterns for this elevator in the floor lobbies.
  • Elevator #8:
    • Schindler continued to work on the door operator.
    • NOTE: Elevator #1 in the Clinic Building will be taken out of service to allow the interior and control upgrades to be completed once the repairs and upgrades to Elevator #8 have been completed and the elevator is back in service.
  • Freight Elevator:
    • During the heavy rains on 2/12/08, water leaked through areas of the roof that are being replaced and damaged the freight elevator. It has been taken out of service and the damage assessed by Schindler.
    • Schindler has provided LSUHSC with a quotation to repair the damage.
    • The State Elevator Inspector has been contacted and asked to inspect the damage and verify the quote.
      • The Schindler damage assessment and quotation has been picked up by the Inspector.
      • Once the scope of work has been validated, LSUHSC will immediately issue a Purchase Order for the repair work.
    • The current estimate from Schindler to complete these repairs is six weeks from the receipt of the Purchase Order.
  • At this time, these elevators are in service:
    • Elevator #1 (Clinic)
    • Elevator #2 (Clinic)
    • Elevator #3 (Clinic)
    • Elevator #4 (Clinic)
    • Elevator #6 (Admin)
    • Elevator #7 (Admin)
• Security:
• Securitas ran wires to install security cameras located next to the intercom speakers at the entrances to the Clinic Building.

MEB Roof Replacement:

• The contractor has completed installing the last temporary roof portion on the S. Roman St. side of the building.
• All of the lightweight concrete has been poured on the roof of the building, including the penthouses.
• The contractor has started installing the next ply of roofing materials over the lightweight concrete on the Allied Health side of the building.
• During the night time hours of 2/15, heavy rains hit the downtown campus. Water leaked through portions of the roof and damaged one of the emergency power bus duct; causing a dead short that burned the feeders.
  • The roofing contractor is already on site early on 2/16/08 and is making repairs to prevent a similar occurrence.
  • An electrical contractor is under contract to make emergency repairs to restore emergency power to those parts of the building that were impacted.
  • Permanent repairs will be addressed later.
  • The Builders Risk insurance carried by the roofing contractor is expected to reimburse the costs that will be incurred.

Landscaping Project:

• Crews installed irrigation pipe and sprinklers between the sidewalk and street curb on the Perdido Street side of the Residence Hall.
• They trenched for the irrigation pipe on the building side of the sidewalk and prepared to connect to the backflow preventer.

Downtown Campus – 1st Floors:

• The State Fire Marshal has required that we take measures on the unoccupied 1st Floors and basements of the buildings on the downtown campus. This work will insure that the existing sprinkler systems will function properly while we wait for the permanent repairs to be designed, bid, contracted and completed.
  • In the majority of the buildings, the most cost effective method of accomplishing this goal is to re-install ceiling tiles into the existing ceiling grid on the 1st Floor.
• A contract has been issued for this work.
  • Trison completed installing the temporary ceiling tiles in the MEB, the Residence Hall, the CSRB, the Resource Center and the Allied Health/Nursing Building.
  • The crews have moved on to Lions/LSU Clinic Building.

We encourage you to follow the details of our progress through the daily updates which are posted on the web site.