From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject: Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #78
Posted: October 10, 2008

The tropics have remained quite for the past two weeks so our contractors have been able to continue work on the many projects underway around campus without interruption. The permanent repairs and mitigation work at the Lions/LSU Clinic Building have progressed to a point where the mechanical subcontractor is fully engaged throughout the building. New duct work is being installed and insulated. Water lines are being run, connected and tested. Preparations for the new medical air and gas pumps that will be located on the 2^nd Floor are underway. The iron workers have made excellent progress constructing the frame for the exterior stairwell. The structure has reach the maximum height (6 floors) and the platforms, stairs and rails have been installed on Floors 2 through 5. Drywall and doors continue to be installed on the 6^th Floor and ceiling grid is being hung on the 7^th Floor.

Contractors are busy at 1542 Tulane as preparations for reoccupying the building continue. The walls of the new lounge areas on the 4^th through the 7^th Floors have been dry walled and they are now being taped and floated. The final arrangement of new furniture is continuing on the 6^th and 7^th Floors and power cables are being run to the systems furniture. The painters finished painting 8^th Floor offices and they continue repainting all of the restrooms throughout the building. New ceiling light fixtures have been installed in the elevator lobbies on the 1^st Floor and in the 5^th through the 8^th Floor lobbies. The terrazzo floors in the Shipping and Receiving areas are being honed.

The renovations to the 6^th and 8^th Floor laboratories at the Dental School are well underway. The mechanical subcontractor tied-in the domestic hot and cold water lines into the building systems and finished the installation of the gas line for Room 8405. The old laboratory benches in Rooms 6333 and 6335 have been demolished and removed. The cleaning contractor stripped and cleaned the floors in Room 8405 and the electrical contractor is installing new receptacle boxes in the same room.

The work on Auditoriums A & B at the Dental School is moving forward. The contractor finished applying the 1^st and 2^nd coats of mastic moisture protection to the exterior walls in Auditorium A. The rough in electrical work for the new lighting in Auditorium B is finished and the electricians are working in Auditorium A. New block walls for the air handling room and the block wall that separates the two auditoriums are under construction. The new ceilings in both auditoriums are being framed up, and the electrical subcontractor is installing junction boxes and mounting hardware for ceiling lights in Auditorium A.

The contractor working on the Resource Center Library Commons project completed the sheetrock on the window wall near the stairwell. Steel supports for the coil fire door have been installed and the door headers for the wall nearest the elevators are in place. The wall framing and electrical rough in for the multimedia rooms has been finished. The new ceiling at the passenger elevators has been framed up and the network wiring contractor made the new network wiring connections.

The ceiling replacement project on the 4^th Floor of the MEB is nearing completion. The contractor installed the large return boxes at the air handling unit rooms and they continue working on the large return air grill. The fire sprinkler caps have been installed in the Gravier St. corridors and the balance of the sprinkler work is being completed. Smoke detectors have been installed in the recessed ceiling areas and the ceiling sheetrock is being sanded.

In the 2^nd Floor Lobby in the MEB, the contractor finished framing the areas above the passenger elevators and is installing sheetrock on back side of the new walls erected for Campus Office Stores. Crews capped off the top of the new store walls and installed sheetrock by the Men’s bathroom and the data and phone wires have been run in Room 2108. The excess concrete was scraped from the joint between the honeycomb concrete ceilings and the ceiling outside the lecture halls has been skim-coated.

The renovations being made to the MDL #5 have progressed rapidly. The casework subcontractor installed the epoxy sinks in the main MDL lab and nine new stainless steel sinks have been installed in Room 4109. The acid waste drain lines for the epoxy sinks in the main MDL room have been reconnected. The medical air/gas/vac lines for the new turrets (valves) in the main MDL room and in Room 4109 have been connected. The installation of the laminate countertops in the main MDL and Room 4109 has been finished. New white boards have been hung, audio/visual cables have been run, the contractor is patching walls and has started the general cleaning of the renovated spaces.

The flooring contractor applied the 3^rd layer of self-leveling concrete on the S. Roman side of the Residence Hall 2^nd Floor lobby. The contractor completed installation of roof drains on the lobby expansion deck and the existing brick pavers are being trimmed to provide a smooth transition to the new porcelain base. The 3rd concrete underlayment layer has been applied to the elevated walkway between the Residence Hall and the MEB. Four of seven sections of the stamped concrete surface on the walkway have also been completed.

Here are highlights of work that has been accomplished during the past two weeks.

Lions/LSU Clinic Permanent Repairs and Mitigation:

• The mechanical subcontractor is insulating supply duct, VAV, and heating hot water supply and return lines by the simulation rooms on the 6th Floor.
  • A crew is running supply duct and return duct for the AHU in the mechanical room on the Bolivar St. Side of the 1st Floor.
  • They are checking the connections for the bathrooms and the VAV boxes on the 6th Floor.
  • The subcontractor is laying out the housekeeping pads for the medical air and vac pumps in the new 2nd Floor mechanical room.
  • They conducted a partial start up on the existing medical air and vac equipment on the 1st Floor.
  • The med gas pipe that was damaged by the sheetrock installation on the 7th Floor is being repaired and re-tested.
  • Crews continue installing piping outside of the elevator lobby to connect to the sump pump that will be installed in the pit of Elevator 1 and 4.
  • They are installing piping outside of the elevator lobby to connect to the sump pump that will be installed in the pit of the freight elevator on the 1st Floor.
• The electrical subcontractor is installing conduit for the new breaker box on the 2nd Floor in the S. Prieur St. side electrical room.
  • They are installing the electrical outlets in the new CMU walls on the S. Prieur St. side of the 1st Floor.
  • They are wiring the AHU located in the mechanical room on the Bolivar St. side of the 1st Floor.
• The iron subcontractor set the stairs and rails on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Floors and tack welded them in place.
  • They welded the saddles on the 2nd Floor and are welding the saddles on the 3rd Floor.
  • They are welding the saddles on the 1st Floor and welding the frame on the 4th Floor.
  • They are also laying the deck for the landings on the 4th and 5th Floors.
• The sprinkler subcontractor is moving sprinkler heads on the CSRB side of the 6th Floor.
• The contractor is installing ceiling grid on the 7th Floor.
  • They continue installing door frames in the middle of the 6th Floor.
  • Wall penetrations on the Gravier St. side of the 6th Floor are being sealed.
  • Additional sheetrock is being hung on the 6th Floor.
  • A crew is installing ceiling wire on the Bolivar St. side of the 6th Floor.
  • They continue to install the CMU walls on the 1st Floor by the bathrooms on the S. Prieur St. side.
  • Crews are painting on the 7th Floor.

Dental School 6^th and 8^th Floor Laboratory Renovations:

• The mechanical subcontractor tied-in the domestic hot and cold water lines into the building systems.
• The old laboratory benches in Rooms 6333 and 6335 have been demolished and removed.
• The mechanical subcontractor finished the installation of the gas piping for Room 8405.
• The mechanical subcontractor pressure-tested the new gas piping for Room 8405.
• The cleaning contractor stripped and cleaned the floors in Room 8405.
• The electrical subcontractor is installing receptacle boxes on the exterior walls in Room 8405.
• The mechanical subcontractor is installing pipe hangers and supports for the vent piping.

Dental School Auditoriums A & B:

• The contractor finished applying the 1^st coat of mastic moisture protection to the exterior walls in Auditorium A.
• The 2nd coat of mastic moisture protection has been applied to the exterior walls in Auditorium A.
• The electrical contractor finished the electrical rough-in for lighting in Auditorium B and continues working on the rough-in for Auditorium A.
• The general contractor is constructing the new block walls for the air handling unit room.
• Crews are framing the new ceilings in Auditoriums A & B.
• The electrical subcontractor continues to install junction boxes and to mount hardware for light fixtures in Auditorium A.
• The general contractor began constructing new block walls that will separate the Auditoriums.
• Crews began framing new walls with studs and hat channel in both Auditoriums.

Repair Work at 1542 Tulane Ave.:

• Lighting:
  • The electrical contractor completed installing new light fixtures in the elevator lobbies and hallways on the 1st Floor and the 5th through the 8th Floors.
  • LSUHSC Facility Services electricians are troubleshooting lighting problems in offices on the 6th Floor.
• Lounge Areas:
  • The general contractor completed insulating the new walls in the lounges on the 3^rd through the 7^th Floors.
  • The walls in the 4th Floor lounge have been dry walled.
  • Crews completed installing sheetrock walls in the lounges on the 5th, 6th and 7th Floors.
  • The general contractor continued taping and floating the sheetrock walls in the lounges on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Floors.

• Furniture:
  • Facility Services electricians installed power feed cables for the systems furniture in Room 551.
  • LSUHSC Facility Services electricians made systems furniture connections on offices on the 6th Floor.
  • The furniture vendor arranged new furniture in offices on the 6th Floor along the center hallway and removed packaging materials.
  • The furniture vendor arranged offices along the front hallway on the 6th Floor and on the 7th Floor in their final layout.
• Misc.:
  • The plumbing subcontractor installed drain lines on the fan coil units in Room 109E.
  • The general contractor completed the drywall ceiling installation in Room 718.
  • The painting contractor completed painting offices on the 8th Floor.
  • The general contractor completed installing new suspended ceiling grid and tiles in the 8th and 7th floor elevator lobbies.
  • The terrazzo contractor continues honing floors on the 1st Floor by Shipping and Receiving.

Dental School Permanent Roof Replacement:

• The contractor connected the exhaust vents on the elevator penthouse.
• The contractor finished installing new walk pads on the Administration Building roof.
• They started installing cap sheets over roofing sheets marred by foot traffic.

Library Commons Project:

• The contractor installed sheetrock on the window wall near the stairwell.
• Steel supports for the coil fire door have been installed.
• The contractor installed door headers for the wall nearest the elevators.
• The contractor has completed framing up the walls in the multimedia rooms.
• LSUHSC electricians completed the electrical rough-in work in the multimedia rooms.
• The contractor framed the ceiling at the passenger elevators.
• The network wiring contractor connected Library clients to new network connections.
• LSUHSC electricians are installing light fixture frames in the ceiling near the elevators.
• The wiring contractor has removed the existing network wiring.
• The contractor is installing sheetrock in the multimedia rooms.

MEB 2nd Floor Lobby Renovation:

• The contractor finished framing the areas above the passenger elevators and is installing sheetrock on back side of the new walls erected for Campus Office Stores.
• The contractor capped off the top of the new store walls and installed sheetrock by the Men’s bathroom.
• The data and phone wires have been run in Room 2108.
• The contractor scraped off the excess concrete from the joint between the honeycomb concrete ceilings.
• The contractor skim-coated the honeycomb ceilings outside the lecture hall on the Bolivar St. side and framed the area at the rear of Medical Center Stores.

Residence Hall 2^nd Floor Expansion:

• The flooring contractor applied the 3^rd layer of self-leveling concrete on the S. Roman side of the lobby.
• The contractor completed installation of scupper roof drains on the lobby expansion deck.
• The flooring subcontractor is trimming the existing brick pavers for smooth transition to new porcelain base.

MEB 4^th Floor - MDL #5 Renovations:

• The casework subcontractor installed epoxy sinks in the main MDL lab.
• Nine new stainless steel sinks have been installed in Room 4109.
• The plumbing sub-contractor completed reconnecting acid waste drain lines for the epoxy sinks in the main MDL room.
• The plumbing sub-contractor connected the medical air/gas/vac lines for the new turrets (valves) in the main MDL room and in Room 4109.
• The contractor installed the white boards in the main MDL labs and in corner rooms.
• The casework contractor completed the installation of laminate countertop in the main MDL room and in Room 4109.
• The contractor is patching existing walls and reapplying texture finishes to match the existing surfaces.
• The audio and visual cables for the LCD monitor have been run to the control boxes.
• The network wiring contractor began to terminate data cables in the main MDL room.
• The contractor is working on general cleaning.

MEB 4th Floor Ceiling Replacement:

• The contractor installed the large return boxes at the air handling unit rooms.
• The contractor has installed fire sprinklers caps in the Gravier Street corridors.
• The contractor is completing the fire sprinkler work.
• The contractor continues to work on the large return air grille.
• The contractor installed smoke detectors and sanded sheetrock on the recessed ceiling.

Downtown Landscaping Project:

• Sprinklers were installed in the raised planters in the front of the building by running pipe under the wall footer.
• LSUHSC Facility Services completed installing irrigation piping in the front of the building.
• They ran the electrical conduit for the new bollards (sidewalk lights).
• LSUHSC Facility Services personnel drilled through the planter base on the front porch to route new water and electrical service for the landscape irrigation.

Residence Hall Walkway Resurfacing:

• The contractor installed the 3rd concrete underlayment layer on the walkway.
• The contractor has completed four of seven sections of the stamped concrete surface.

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