From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject: Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #75
Posted: August 15, 2008

The summer is winding down, classes have resumed and work on our many summer projects is still progressing around campus. The 1^st layer of flooring is about to be poured in the 2^nd Floor lobby in the Medical Education Building. New walls have been framed up, dry walled, taped and floated. The installation of the new ceiling in the public areas of the MEB 4^th Floor is progressing. The new ceiling grid is being installed. The framing and dry walling of the fur downs in the student lounge areas has been finished. The sprinkler heads are being relocated to fit properly within the new ceiling grid.

The renovations in the MDL #5 are well underway. The demolition has been completed. The rough in of new plumbing connections (medical air, gas and vacuum) that will connect to the new casework has been progressing and the electrical rough in has begun. The new ceiling grid has been installed. The sprinkler heads are being relocated, light fixtures are being installed and the HVAC and return air grills are being installed and connected to the duct work.

The project to resurface the elevated walkway that connects the Residence Hall to the MEB is nearing completion. The contractor is focusing on completing the punch list items. The contractor who is expanding the 2^nd Floor lobby in the Residence Hall has steel being fabricated off-site, while their crew has begun to remove the spandrel glass from the Perdido St. side of the building. The installation of the monument fencing around Student Lots 2 and 3 has continued. The sample of the pre-cast concrete fence elements has been completed and is being shipped to LSUHSC for evaluation and approval. Several of the new building trash compactors have been installed. Recent instances of inclement weather have interrupted work on these projects periodically.

The two new projects at the Dental School are getting started. In the project to renovate lab spaces on the 6^th and 8^th Floors, demolition has begun. Wall panels and duct work is being removed from areas of the 8^th Floor and old case work is being removed from two 6^th Floor labs. In the two small auditoriums, the temporary construction barriers have been erected and the domestic water connections have been removed. Crews continue to remove the old electrical wiring from the spaces and the lay out for the new walls has begun.

The permanent repairs and mitigation work at the Lions/LSU Clinic Building is continuing. The plumbers have been working above the ceiling of the 5^th Floor as they install floor drains, waste lines and heating hot water lines that will serve the 6^th Floor. The new Air Handling Units are being connected on the 1^st and 6^th Floors. Sprinkler lines are being installed in the 6^th Floor ceiling and walls are being insulated and dry walled. New door frames are being installed in the new lab space on the 7^th Floor while the preparations for the construction of the new exterior stairwell are in progress.

A variety of small projects that support the effort to re-occupy portions of 1542 Tulane Ave. have been underway. Old light wells that allowed light into basement spaces have been closed in and are being waterproofed. Portions of the front sidewalk have been removed, the front of the property has been graded, and the new sidewalk has been framed up and the reinforcing bar and wire installed. The installation of access control devices on the 1^st Floor has been proceeding. The new fan coil units that will serve the lounge areas have been installed and the walls in those areas are being framed up. The terrazzo flooring on the 1^st Floor has been stripped of wax and the initial honing has been completed and the polishing of the terrazzo has begun. Repair work is continuing on Elevators #4 and #7. The final patching and touch up painting has been finished on the 7^th and 8^th Floors. The contractor has moved those crews to the 5^th and 6^th Floors. LSUHSC Facilities personnel continue to make repairs and adjustments to fan coil unit around the building. Although not directly related to re-occupying the building, the demolition of the interior spaces of the 3^rd and 4^th Floor annex is well underway.

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

Lions/LSU Clinic Permanent Repairs and Mitigation:

• Crews sanded and floated the sheetrock in the 6^th Floor hallway.
• Crews are insulating and painting walls on the CSRB side of the 6^th Floor.
• Plumbers are working above the ceiling of the 5^th Floor to install the floor drains and waste lines for the new 6^th Floor bathrooms on the S. Prieur side of the building.
  • They are also working on the heating hot water main and branch on the east side of the 6^th Floor.
• Electricians are running conduit in the 5^th Floor ceiling for the new Stryker equipment that will be installed in the Cohn Learning Center.
• Sprinkler pipe is being installed on the 6^th Floor.
• The contractor removed the remaining windows from all the floors to accommodate the construction of the new exterior stairwell.
• The contactor is installing the door frames in the new lab space on the 7^th Floor.
• The CMU wall has been constructed on the 1^st Floor outside of the passenger elevator lobby.
• Electricians are installing the cable tray that will run from the main electrical vault to the new switchgear in order to prepare for the installation of the new cable.
  • Electricians are working on pulling the copper cable to run from the Entergy vault on the 1^st Floor to the new switchgear on the 2^nd Floor.
• The mechanical sub-contractor has piped in the new AHU on the 6^th Floor on the S. Prieur St. side of the building.
• The mechanical sub-contractor is piping in the new AHU on the 1^st Floor on the S. Prieur St. side of the building.
• The mechanical sub-contractor is piping in the VAV on the 6^th Floor.
• Crews are removing the tile walls in all bathrooms on the 6^th Floor.
• The contractor continues insulating the heating hot water pipe from the main to the branch on the 6^th Floor.

Dental School Laboratory Renovations:

• The crews are removing wall panels and ductwork from the affected areas on the 8^th Floor.
• They are removing the old cabinets and lab benches from Rooms 6335 and 6333.

Dental School Auditoriums A & B:

• CS & Associates finished installing the temporary partitions and protection barriers for the auditorium renovation project.
• CS & Associates finished removing the existing domestic water connections in the auditoriums.
• The electrical sub-contractor (E & J Electric) is removing old electrical and telecommunications wiring.
• The contractor started laying-out the new walls for the auditoriums.

Repair Work at 1542 Tulane Ave.:

• Elevator Repairs:
  • The repair the work on Elevator #4 and #7 is progressing.

• Light Wells:
  • The contractor completed closing in the light well in the old cafeteria.
  • Crews completed closing in the two light wells located in the rear of the building.
  • They are dry proofing the enclosures in the front and rear light wells.
• Lounge Areas:
  • The contractor is framing up the new walls in the 6^th and 7^th Floor lounges.
  • The mechanical and electrical contractors completed installing new fan coil units in the lounges.

• Demolition of Annex Interior:
  • The crews demolishing the interiors of the 3^rd and 4^th Floors of the annex.
• Terrazzo Floors:
  • The terrazzo honing contractor stripped the wax from the hallway on the 1^st Floor.
  • The initial honing of the 1^st Floor hallway has been completed.
  • The terrazzo honing contractor completed the initial polishing of the 1^st Floor rear elevator lobby.
• Misc.:
  • The State Fire Marshal inspected the areas intended for near-term occupancy and granted partial occupancy pending the completion of minor repairs.
  • Zimmer-Eschette crews continue patching walls, painting and working on punch list items.
    • Floors 7 and 8 are substantially complete.
    • The crews have moved to the 5^th and 6^th Floors.
  • The insulation contractor continues insulating chilled water piping in the hallways and insulating the fan coil units in the various offices.
  • LSUHSC Facility Services personnel continue installing new fan coil units, removing old FCUs, and installing locksets.
    • Crews completed installing portable air conditioning units and continued making adjustments.
  • Niscayah (formerly Securitas) continued wiring and installing new access controls on the 1^st Floor.
    • They have wired and installing access control devices on the front doors to the building and on the loading dock stairwell doors.
  • The painting contractor is refinishing restroom stall doors and hallway doors throughout the building.
  • The lighting contractor installed lights in the 7^th and 8^th Floor rear elevator lobbies.
    • The lighting contractor continues installing lights on various floors throughout the building.
  • The demolition of the existing sidewalk along Tulane Ave. is underway.
    • The contractor is also working on grading the site and laying out the new sidewalk in front of the building.
  • The contractor finished installing forms for the new sidewalk in front of the building.
    • They also installed rebar and wire mesh, preparing for the concrete to be poured next week.
  • The window blind vendor delivered and installed new blinds in various rooms.
    • They began making punch list repairs.
  • The Herman Miller Group set-up and arranged new furniture in offices on the 8^th Floor in the final layout.
  • LSUHSC plumbers are making preparations for cutting out plumbing on the 3^rd and 4^th Floors this weekend.

Repair Work at the Dental School:

• Permanent Roof Repairs:
  • The roofing contractor continues caulking around the windows on the 5^th Floor balcony and continues to unclog the remaining roof drains.
  • The contractor is repairing roof drain strainers.
  • Needham Roofing completed the installation of the roof exhaust vents for the elevator penthouse on Administration Building.
  • They continue to work on punch-list items; installing caulking and weather-proofing.
  • The nuclear moisture survey data has been received.
    • In sections of the roofs where significant amounts of moisture were present, the contractor began removing the roofing materials and replacing them.
  • Needham is installing umbrellas around the bases of the exhaust fan supports.

Library Commons Project:

• LSUHSC Facility Services electricians continue work on the electrical rough-in.
  • They are currently working on the rough-in for the new Coffee Kiosk.
• Auxiliary Enterprises continues rerouting network cables to the rear offices.
  • They ran new cables through the bulk head over to the Circulation Desk side of the Library.
  • They have pulled network wires through the bulk head to feed the study area in the Library Commons.
• The mechanical contractor has set the HVAC unit that will serve the Commons area in place.
  • The plumbing for the unit was run previously.
• Additional ductwork is being installed and elevated to the highest possible position.
• LSUHSC electricians installed conduit for the new lighting in the Café Lounge area.
  • Other personnel began removing old braces and straps from the ceiling deck.

MEB 2nd Floor Lobby Renovation:

• Crews framed in the area around Campus Office Stores on the Bolivar/Perdido St. corner of the building.
• The contractor framed and dry walled new walls in the area around Medical Center Stores on the Roman/Perdido St. side of the building.
• The contractor is taping and floating the new sheetrock.
• Electricians installed electrical outlets to fit in the center of the new wood wall panels.
• Crews framed the back wall where the digital signage is going to be located.
• Preparations have been made to pour the first layer of the new flooring over the weekend.

Residence Hall 2^nd Floor Expansion:

• Steel is being fabricated offsite.
• Crews are removing the spandrel glass from the exterior wall on the Perdido St. side of the building.

MEB 4^th Floor - MDL #5 Renovations:

• The contractor continues to rough-in the plumbing (gas, air, & vacuum) for the new casework.
• The contractor began working on the electrical rough-in.
• The contractor installed the track for the new partition doors.
• The contractor is making penetrations for the new plumbing.
• The contractor completed the installation of the four quadrants of ceiling.
• The electricians completed installing light fixtures in the main room.
  • They began working on lights in the three storage rooms.
• The contractor began relocating sprinkler heads to accommodate the new ceiling design and layout.
• Crews began installing new HVAC grilles and return grilles in the ceiling grid.

Roman St. Parking Garage:

• Auxiliary Enterprises completed terminating the new cables for security cameras.
  • The old camera wires have been removed from the security gate.

Downtown Perimeter Fence Project:

• The contractor continues to install the new monument fences on the Poydras and Perdido Street side of both Student Parking Lots.
• Sample concrete blocks for the decorative fence columns are being fabricated for approval by LSUHSC.
• The back gate on Poydras Street has been installed.
• The sample of the pre-cast concrete that LSUHSC will evaluate has been shipped.

MEB 4th Floor Ceiling Replacement:

• The new wall angle has been installed throughout the corridors and public areas on the floor.
• The sheetrock for the fur down of the tray ceiling is in place.
  • Crews are taping and floating the sheetrock.
• The new ceiling grid continues to be installed; approximately thirty to forty percent of the grid is complete.
• The ceiling grid in the student lounge area on the Roman St. side of the building is complete.
  • The grid installation was started in the student lounge on the Bolivar St. side.
• They finished taping and floating sheetrock ceilings in both student lounge areas.
• The contractor started relocating sprinkler heads to accommodate the new ceiling grid in the rear and center corridors.

Residence Hall Walkway Resurfacing:

• The contractor began work on the punch list items, including drilling and correcting the weep holes for drainage, installing threshold at the double door entrance to the MEB, and cutting and filling the expansion joint where the walkway meets the building.

Building Trash Compactors: All of the existing building trash compactors were seriously damaged by the post-Katrina flood waters.

• The new trash compactor for the Resource Center was installed.
• New trash compactors were installed at the Lions/LSU Clinic Building and the CSRB.
• The new trash compactors were installed at the MEB, Residence Hall and 1542 Tulane Ave.
• The new Residence Hall trash compactor was delivered to the site.
• The new trash compactor for the Allied Health/Nursing Building was delivered.
• The new trash compactor for the Dental School was delivered to the site.

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