From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject: Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #81
Posted: November 21, 2008

Another major milestone will be achieved with first in a sequence of the planned moves back into the upper floors (7th and 8th) of the Clinical Education Building are scheduled to begin next week. The preparations for re-occupying the building are continuing. New light fixtures for the entry way, in conference rooms and hallways, and in the parking lot have been installed. The work in the lounge areas continues; cabinets have been installed in the 7th Floor lounge and A/C duct work is in place in the lower floor lounge areas.

The final cleaning has been finished on the 1st Floor and on Floors 5 through 8. Restrooms are being cleaned throughout the building. The new data network cabling has been completed on Floors 7 and 8, and it is well underway on the 6th Floor. These are additional network drops being added to the enhanced network infrastructure installed prior to the storm. An additional project to enhance wireless connectivity in selected areas of the building will begin shortly. The landscaping and irrigation system work has been completed in the front of the building.

Additional concrete has been poured as part of the renovations to the Dental School Auditoriums A and B. The riser seat flooring in Auditorium B has been poured and the forms have been removed. The entry way stairs into Auditorium A have also been poured. Electrical work continues in both spaces, and connections are being made to the newly installed air handling units. The conduit for the enhanced audio/visual equipment is being run.

The work on the construction of the Commons area in the Resource Center Library is moving ahead. Sprinkler pipes have been run to the mechanical room. Additional HVAC duct work was installed along the windows. All but one of the new thermostats have been installed. The new ceiling grid is in place in several areas; the study area, the small and large multimedia rooms, and the café. Wall tiles have been applied to the frieze wall.

We reached an important milestone in the project to complete permanent repairs and hazard mitigation at the LSU/Lions Clinic Building. We have been granted beneficial occupancy of the lab space that has been relocated to the 7th Floor. While some minor punch list items remain to be finished we will be able to move into and use this space in the near future.

The new switch gear has been moved into place on the 2nd Floor of Lions. Thirty-two electrical feeders and the cable trays that support them above the 1st Floor ceiling have been run in preparation for connecting to the new switch gear. The 2nd Floor location will insure that it will not be damaged by a future flood event. Lines were also run to the medical air and vacuum in the 2nd Floor mechanical room. The sprinkler sub also ran lines to the new fire pump located on the 2nd Floor. The insulating crews have been working around the building insulating the new duct work, the pipes for domestic hot and cold water, and the chilled and heating hot water pipes. The steel workers continue to complete the many welds on the exterior stairwell tower. They also mounted the supports for the surgical booms in the 6th Floor simulation rooms.

The contractor working at the Residence Hall is preparing for the removal of the existing curtain wall. They framed up and sheathed a temporary wall that will remain in place until the old wall has been removed and the new curtain wall installed. Some of the existing exterior light fixtures have been removed and additional steel clips installed on the expansion portion of the roof. The new mailboxes have also been installed.

The renovations to Multidisciplinary Lab have been completed and the lab will be put back into service next week. A similar project to renovated MDL #6 will begin immediately. The planned renovations will follow the model set in MDL #5 and include state of the art audio/visual, all new case work and countertops, new ceilings and floors, etc.

A new project is underway to renovate the MEB 6109 & 6148 lab. Included in the scope of work are new ceilings, flooring, and lab countertops. The old ceiling, ceiling grid, light fixtures and HVAC grills have been removed. The old counter tops have also been demolished. New ceiling grid has been installed and the light fixtures relocated. Ceiling tiles are being installed. The new countertops are already in place along with new shelving support panels and shelf brackets.

New HVAC supply duct has been installed in the 2nd Floor lobby of the Medical Education Building to serve the restrooms and the newly configured lobby spaces. A new fire sprinkler valve was installed on the east side of the lobby. Sheet rock was hung on the interior walls by Medical Center Stores. The walls near the storage areas and restrooms on the north side of the lobby and the southeast stairwell were taped and floated.

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

Repair Work at 1542 Tulane Ave.:

• Lighting:
  • The electrical contractor installed new light fixtures on the front porch and continued installing light fixtures in conference rooms on the 2nd and 3rd Floors.
  • The contractor completed installing dimmer switches for the light fixtures in the 5th, 6th and 7th Floor conference rooms.
  • New light fixtures have been installed in the parking garage.
  • New light fixtures have been installed in the front hallway on the 6th and 7th Floors.
  • Preparations are underway for the installation of new light fixtures in the 1st floor lobby.
• Lounge Areas:
  • The mechanical contractor continued installing and insulating air conditioning ducting in the lounges on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Floors.
  • The furniture vendor is installing cabinets in the lounge on the 7th Floor.

• Furniture:
  • Crews set up the furniture and furnishings in Conference Rooms 728 and 756.
• Cleaning:
  • All offices on Floors 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are complete.
  • Crews continued cleaning offices on the 5th Floor.
  • They have started cleaning restrooms on all floors.
  • Cleaning of the stairwells has begun.
• Misc.:
  • The new FedEx box was relocated to the vending machine alcove on the rear hallway of the 1st Floor.
  • The network wiring contractor ran new data wire in the 7^th and 8^th Floor offices.
    • They continue running new wire on the 6th Floor
  • The ceiling grid in the vending machine alcove on the 1st Floor was painted.
  • The ceiling support bases for the new light fixtures in the 1st Floor lobby were painted.
  • The window glass contractor replaced broken windows on the 1st and 2nd Floor, in the 7th Floor lounge, and in various offices on Floors 3 and 4.
  • The elevator contractor removed the protective film on Elevator 7 and the plywood sheathing in Elevators 3 and 8.

Dental School Auditoriums A & B:

• Auditorium A.
  • The concrete for the entry stairs was poured and the forms were removed.
  • The contractor floated the sheetrock walls and installed sheetrock for the ceiling trough along the south wall.
  • They sanded the walls in Auditorium A.
  • The electrical contractor installed junction boxes for the sconces on the west wall in the Auditorium.
  • The electrical contractor connected additional wiring for the lighting switch legs.
• Auditorium B.
  • The general contractor installed the support legs and the first tier of wood forming for the riser seating.
  • Crews installed foam supports and anchors for the riser seating.
  • The concrete for the riser seating was poured and the concrete forms were removed.
  • The contractor installed additional sheetrock in the ceiling troughs in Auditorium B.
  • The electrical contractor installed wiring for the down lights.
  • Electricians installed the remaining power and data stub-ups for the riser seating.
  • Crews installed wiring for the step lighting in Auditorium B.
• The mechanical contractor assembled the AHUs, and set them on equipment pads.
  • The mechanical contractor installed chilled water pipes to one of two AHUs.
• The electrical contractor started running conduit from the electrical room to the AV room.

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

• The contractor caulked joints for all the exterior masonry walls in Suite 8405.
• Crews removed wood blocking from the north and east exterior walls in Room 8405.
• The general contractor framed the main doorway and exterior windows for Suite 8405.

Library Commons Project:

• The contractor installed wall tiles on the frieze wall, sprinkler pipes in the mechanical room, and ceiling grid in the study area.
• They installed the ceiling grid in the café area.
• Ceiling grid has been installed in both the large and small multimedia rooms.
• LSUHSC electricians installed light fixture supports in the large multi media room.
• The mechanical contractor installed hard duct for the window ceiling grid.
• The mechanical contractor installed branch ductwork preparing for diffuser installation in the ceiling grid near the windows.
• Siemens installed all but one of the new thermostats.

Lions/LSU Clinic Permanent Repairs and Mitigation:

• LSUHSC has been granted beneficial occupancy of the laboratory that was relocated from the 6th Floor to make room for the Cohn Learning Center. This means that lab operations can be moved into the space and research activities soon can begin.
• The mechanical subcontractor installed eyewash and emergency shower signage on the 7th Floor.
  • The subcontractor insulated supply ductwork on the 6th Floor in the center of the floor, outside of the simulation rooms.
  • They insulated supply air ductwork on the northeast side of the 6th Floor.
  • Crews insulated domestic water lines on the east side of the 1st Floor.
  • A crew insulated chill and heating hot water lines on the east side of the 1st Floor.
  • They installed piping for the drinking fountain on the west side of the 1st Floor.
  • Chilled water lines were installed on the west side of the 1st Floor.
  • A crew excavated the existing storm drain along Gravier Street.
  • The subcontractor installed the pipes for the storm drain on the street and backfilled the excavated area.
  • Ductwork from the VAVs to the new supply ducts on the west side of the 6th Floor was installed.
  • The temporary air intake line to the medical air equipment on the south side of the 1st Floor was installed.
  • A crew installed control valves on the west side of the 6th Floor.
  • VAV controls for the 6th Floor simulation rooms were wired.
  • The HVAC system on the 7th Floor was balanced.
  • They demolished the existing medical gas pipe on the east side of the 2nd Floor.
  • Pipe was installed for the new medical air and vacuum on the 2nd Floor.
  • The domestic cold water valve for the 6th Floor simulation room was relocated.
  • The exhaust lines for the med gas bottle room on the 6th Floor were installed.
  • They finished tying in the supply and outside air duct on the west side of the 1st Floor.
• The electrical subcontractor finished installing the electrical receptacles for the lab on the 7th Floor.
  • They terminated station cables into the patch panels on the 7th Floor network closet.
  • The transformer on the 2nd Floor was moved.
  • The contractor installed all 32 new switchgear feeders.
  • They installed the cable tray feeders on the south side of the 1st Floor.
  • They ran the feeders into the new switchgear on the 2nd Floor.
  • Crews lifted the new switchgear into the electrical room on the 2nd Floor.
  • The electrical subcontractor installed wiring for the lecture room projectors and projector screens on the north side of the 6th Floor.
  • They installed wire for the fire alarm devices on the south side of the 6th Floor.
• The iron/steel subcontractor welded clips on the 2nd Floor and the roof of the stair tower.
  • The steel subcontractor anchored surgical booms supports in the 6th Floor simulation room near the northeast corner.
  • The contractor welded the granite support corners on the outside stairwell.
  • The iron subcontractor welded the granite curtain wall brackets on the northwest side of the 1st Floor.
• The sprinkler subcontractor moved sprinkler heads on the northwest side of the 6th Floor.
  • They installed fire pump valves on the 2nd Floor.
  • The sprinkler subcontractor installed piping near the new fire pump on the south side of the 2nd Floor.
• The contractor installed sheetrock on the bulkhead on the northeast side of the 6th Floor.
  • A crew installed studs on the 2nd Floor between the electrical and telephone room.
  • Crews plastered the CMU walls on the east and south sides of the 1st Floor.
  • Crews installed additional door frames on the northeast side of the 1st Floor.
  • They plastered under the window frames on the north side of the 1st Floor.
  • The contractor installed restroom wall tiles on the 6th Floor and primed the locations of the marker boards on the south side of the 6th Floor.
  • A crew sheet rocked the areas for the recessed television monitors on the north side of the 6th Floor.
  • A crew installed door frames and glass on the north side of the 6th Floor.
  • Sheetrock is being hung in the freight elevator vestibule on the 6th Floor.
• The glass subcontractor installed the interior framing for the windows on the north, west and south sides of the 1st Floor.
  • The glass subcontractor caulked the exterior window frames on the south side of the 1st Floor.
  • They installed the interior window trim on the 1st Floor at the entrance and on the south side of the building.

MEB 2nd Floor Lobby Renovation:

• The mechanical contractor installed supply ductwork for the restrooms and lobby space.
• The contractor leveled the window framing near Medical Center Stores.
• A new fire sprinkler valve was installed on the east side of the lobby.
• The contractor finished hanging sheetrock on the interior walls by Medical Center Stores.
• The sheetrock on the north walls by the storage areas, the restrooms, and the southeast stairwell was taped and floated.

Residence Hall 2nd Floor Expansion:

• The contractor installed the new mailboxes.
• More steel clips were installed on top of the new expansion roof and on the steel tube truss.
• A temporary curtain wall was framed and sheathed.
  • This wall will remain in place while the old curtain wall is removed and the new curtain wall is installed.
• The contractor removed existing 2x4 light fixtures and wall mount light fixtures on the mezzanine level between the A & B towers.
• They removed existing 2x4 wall-mount light fixtures at the corner of Perdido and S. Roman.

MEB 6109 & 6148 Lab Renovations: This is a new project that will renovate a research lab at the MEB. Included in the scope of work are new ceilings, flooring, and lab countertops.

• The contractor removed ceiling grids, ceiling tiles, and HVAC grills.
• The contractor installed new ceiling tiles and relocated existing light fixtures.
• The contractor removed existing counter tops in both rooms and installed the remaining ceiling tiles, light fixtures and diffusers.
• The contractor installed new epoxy countertops, shelving support panels, and shelve brackets in both rooms.

Downtown Landscaping Project:

• LSUHSC Facility Services completed planting shrubs and flowers in front of 1542 Tulane Ave.
• Crews installed sod in front of 1542 Tulane Ave.
• Facility Services tested the sprinkler operation for the landscaping and completed making the wiring connections for the bollard lights in front of the building.

Downtown Campus Fence Project:

• The contractor installed fence and gate on the 6th Floor of the parking garage.
• They installed vinyl chain link fence on the Gravier St. side of Stanislaus Hall.

Elevator Upgrades:

• The contractor installed new carpet for Elevator 3 & 4 in the Resource Center.

MEB 4^th Floor - MDL #5 Renovations:

• LSUHSC Facility Services mopped and waxed the new tile floors in MDL 5.
• All work has been completed and the lab will be returned to service next week.

MEB 4^th Floor Ceiling Replacement:

• The contractor installed the cove lights for the blue sky ceilings.

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