From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject:  Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #8
Posted: January 13, 2006

Tuesday, January 17^th represents a significant milestone in our recovery efforts. That is the target date for the initial return of researchers to the upper floors of the CSRB and all indications are that we will achieve this goal. Researchers will be able to enter the building via the 3^rd floor walkway and utilize most of the spaces in floors 3 and higher.

Some electrical problems still remain, but LSUHSC staff and the electrical contractor will be working throughout the weekend and during the holiday on Monday to work through the remaining issues. Excellent progress continues to be made on the work to provide similar access to the two other downtown campus research buildings; the MEB and the Lion’s Eye Center.

Here are highlights of work that has been accomplished since our last update was posted on Friday, December 22nd.

• The bid for the environmental remediation of the 1^st floors of the CSRB, the MEB and Lion’s Eye Center has been released and advertised. Responses are due on 1/18/06.
  • The Office of Facility Planning & Control has also requested that the architect for the downtown campus project complete their design work and prepare bid documents for environmental remediation of the other downtown campus buildings.
• Repair parts for elevators around campus continue to arrive and the permanent repairs to individual elevators in a number of buildings are underway. The contractor responsible for the Resource Center has completed work on the 4 passenger elevators and the State Elevator Inspector has completed his inspection. His final report is expected in the near future. The elevator contractors continue their work at:
  • CSRB
  • MEB
  • Lion’s Eye Center
  • Nursing/Allied Health
  • Resource Center
  • Stanislaus Hall
  • Residence Hall
  • Entergy/Gravier St. Garage

• A new contract to clean the upper portions of the Dental School Administration and Clinic Buildings has been issued and work will begin shortly.
• Work under the contract to remove flood damaged equipment and furnishings is substantially complete. All that remains is the final disposal of the remaining refrigerators that have been removed from buildings.
• The emergency removal and disposal of carpet and other porous & semi-porous materials from basements & 1st floors of the flooded campus buildings is well underway. Work has been completed at the following buildings:
  • Nursing/Allied Health
  • Lion’s Eye Center
  • Resource Center
  • CSRB

• MEB
• 1542 Tulane Ave.
• Stanislaus Hall
• Dental School: 1^st floors of the Administration and Clinic Buildings
• Dental School basement

• Work is largely completed on the permanent repair/rebuilding of domestic water pumps in the Resource Center, Residence Hall, and MEB. The final pump from the Residence Hall has been removed, sent to be rebuilt and will be reinstalled shortly. When it has been reinstalled and tested the contract will be complete.
• Work continues on the contract to make permanent repairs to the switchgear in the Residence Hall, CSRB, Lion’s Eye Center, MEB and Nursing/Allied Health Buildings.
  • CSRB: The building was powered down on the 12^th. Power has been restored to the emergency and elevator risers. Power has also been restored to the two main risers feeding the building. Both are holding loads.
  • MEB: Four new breakers required for completing the repairs have been delivered and installed. Testing continues throughout the building. If the testing of the breakers is successful, the switchgear repairs will be complete.
  • Nursing/Allied Health: The main switchgear bus bars have been cleaned, returned to the site and installed. Additional parts for the switchgear are expected to arrive next week. Work continues on the remaining repairs.
  • Residence Hall: Parts have been on order and delivery has begun. The contractor will be replacing the emergency electrical riser panel in the Residence Hall over the weekend.
• The initial pre-design conferences with the architectural firms selected for the major renovation projects at the Dental School and the downtown campus locations, the Office of Facility Planning and LSUHSC representatives were held on 1/12/2006.
  • The initial focus for each project will be to rapidly design and complete emergency work necessary to allow the rapid re-occupation of upper floors of key buildings at both locations.
• Bids were received for the solicitation to make permanent 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. The evaluation was completed and the award recommendations were forwarded to the Office of Facility Planning, the Office of Risk Management, and FEMA for their concurrence. The contract award should be approved shortly.
• Work by the contractor responsible for the permanent 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 underway. The existing pump at the CSRB has been removed. Replacement pumps for the MEB, Nursing/Allied Health and Resource Center buildings have already arrived on site and work on the installation of these pumps has begun. The fire pump has been installed at the Resource Center.
• 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. Work is underway at this time.
  • The repairs to the system in Stanislaus Hall have been completed and the inspection by the State Fire Marshal has been completed. The final report is expected to be provided shortly.
  • Work is underway at the CSRB and should be completed shortly. The State Fire Marshal inspection will be requested as soon as repairs are complete.
  • The contractor began working on repairs to the fire alarm system at the MEB.
  • In selected buildings where repairs are relatively simple, the work will be completed by LSUHSC Facilities staff and the system(s) re-certified by the current system maintenance contractor. Parts are on order for the Lion’s Eye Center and repairs are expected to be completed later in the month.
• A contract has been issued for the repairs to Animal Care cage washers, bottle washers and sterilizers at the CSRB. Work on the repairs began on 1/5/2006 and continue daily.
• A bid 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 developed and issued. Bids are due on 1/19/2006.
• A bid 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. Bids were received on 1/13/06 and are being evaluated.

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.