From: Ronnie Smith, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance
Subject: Hurricane Katrina Recovery – Update #99
Posted: August 14, 2009

The Resource Center Building roof replacement project began Monday, August 10th, 2009. The contractor's work schedule for this project is from 5:00 AM until noon daily Monday through Friday. The contractor will park two large mobile cranes at the back and Tulane Avenue side of the building.

The contractor will be placing the tar kettle on the ground in the back of the building due to limited space on the roof and for safety concerns. This will result in odors around the kettle and the roof periodically for the duration of the new roof project. Over the next few weeks, there will be noise in the early morning hours as the contractor removes sections of the roof.

The contractor will install new roofing underlayment material and apply the new roof membrane. When the contractor applies the new roofing membrane, hot tar will be used to seal the new roof. After the tar work is complete the contractor will continue installing flashing on the roof. Every effort will be made to minimize noise during regular work hours. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of this calendar year.

The Quality Group moved the files and furnishings of the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry to their 1st and 2nd Floor offices in the Clinical Education Building. This is the final group of faculty and staff who will be housed at 1542 Tulane. Much of the work during the past two weeks has occurred in the 1st Floor lounge as the installation of the new coffee kiosk continues. The plumbers connected the ice machine and plumbed in the hand sink and the 3-compartment sink. Water lines were run to the coffee maker and the espresso machine. The electrical contractor installed conduit for the circuits and data at the kiosk and installed the conduit and wiring for the air curtain and bakery case. Conduit for the data cables required at the vending area in the lounge was installed. Workers pulled wires for the kiosk refrigerator, coffee maker, and espresso machine. The breakers for the kiosk electrical sub-panel were installed and wired.

The contractor replacing the roof on the Allied Health/Nursing Building is completing his final tasks on the project. Crews installed the cap sheet at the side of the building on the atrium level. The sidewalk at the corner of Perdido and Roman Street and in the MEB loading dock area was replaced. They pressure washed the sidewalk where the elevator was installed and removed excess material from the roof. The contractor corrected the water pockets in the aluminum flashing on the atrium roof.

The renovations to the MEB 2nd Floor elevator lobby are substantially complete. Campus Office Stores and Medical Center Stores are re-establishing their operations in their original areas just off the lobby. The contractor is currently completing a few punch list items.

The work in MDL #3 is complete and the lab is being put back into use. We are soliciting bids at this time for comparable renovations to the last of the MDL’s. We have also completed the renovations to the Pharmacology lab space in the MEB. Pharmacology is in the process of moving back into the renovated lab.

The remaining work on the state of the art audio/visual system that serves Auditorium A and B at the Dental School has been completed. A demonstration of the system and its many capabilities was recently given to Dental School faculty and leadership. The contractor on the job continues to complete a variety of punch list items. They installed panel labels for the new electrical panels and sealed the concrete floor in the electrical closet between the auditoriums. Workers replaced missing ceiling tiles in the lobby outside the auditoriums. The contractor applied floor sealant in the new AHU room and filled the concrete holes in the electrical closet between the auditoriums. The mechanical contractor balanced the HVAC in both auditoriums.

The project to replace the air handling units in the MEB is progressing on schedule. The engineer of record has accepted RTU 1, RTU 2, AHU 6-D, AHU 7-D, AHU 7-C, AHU 6-B and AHU-7B. The contractor demolished and removed the old air handling units 6-A and 7-A and placed the new units 6-A and 7-A in position. The connections to the duct work were made. Crews completed the chilled water piping at AHU 6-A and AHU 7-A and they piped in the condensate drains. Power wiring, control wiring and fire alarm wiring has been connected to both units. The installation of the next two units will begin this evening.

Work on the renovations to the Physiology labs on the 7th Floor of the MEB continues. The contractor installed wood blocking for casework in Room 7221 and hung sheetrock to close up the wall. The walls have been taped, floated and primed. The soffit ceiling in Rooms 7241 and 7250 was framed and the sheetrock was installed. The contractor taped, floated, primed and painted the walls below the windows and the soffit in Rooms 7241 and 7250. The existing vinyl floor tile was removed from Room 7207 (the walk-in cooler). Workers trenched the plaster walls in Rooms 7241, 7244, and 7250 to install new conduits and the plumbing for Room 7244 was roughed in.

The furniture contractor continued installing the security desk station and the TV enclosure in the expanded 2nd Floor lobby area of the Residence Hall. The flooring contractor removed existing VCT tiles on the mezzanine level, prepped floor for carpet installation in the C Tower corner lobby area and installed the carpet. The contractor trimmed out electrical floor boxes between the B & C Towers and primed the walls near the mailboxes and the network closet; preparing them for wallpaper. The network contractor ran additional network cabling. Conduit and the junction box were installed for the TV enclosure data drops. Crews began installing the new doors.

The landscaping crew has been working on the Tulane Ave. side of the Roman St Garage. The initial load of sod that was delivered has been installed. Additional sod is on order to complete the grassy areas. Workers have been planting shrubs in the new planting beds and mulching portions of the beds as they complete the planting.

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

RESOURCE CENTER ROOF REPLACEMENT:

• The contractor installed temporary fencing at the loading dock.
• The crane, man lift, and dumpster were delivered to the site.
• The contractor removed and replaced the roof drain bowl near the stairwell penthouse on the Tulane Street side of the roof.
• The contractor removed the lighting protection system from the roof.

Repair Work at 1542 Tulane Ave.:

• The Quality Group moved the files and furnishings of the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry to their 1st and 2nd Floor offices.
• The plumbing contractor installed the hub drain and vent for the kiosk ice machine.
  • Plumbers installed the piping for the 3-compartment sink and hand wash sink at the coffee kiosk in the 1st Floor lounge.
  • They installed the kiosk water lines for the hand wash sink, coffee maker, and espresso machine and the drain lines for the 3 compartment sink.

• The electrical contractor installed conduit for the circuits and data at the kiosk and installed the conduit and wiring for the air curtain and bakery case.
  • They installed conduit for the data cables required at the vending area in the lounge.
  • Workers pulled wires for the kiosk refrigerator, coffee maker, and espresso machine.
  • The breakers for the kiosk electrical sub-panel were installed and wired.
• The contractor taped, floated and sanded the rear wall of the 1st Floor coffee kiosk.
• The sprinkler contractor replaced painted sprinkler heads in Room 122H and in the corridor outside 122H.
• The painting contractor primed and painted the walls in Room 122H and the corridor outside Room 122H.
  • They applied the 2nd coat of paint in the restrooms behind the coffee kiosk and painted the sheetrock ceiling in the 1st Floor lounge.
• Facility Services applied touch-up paint to the handrails in Stairwell #3.
• Facility Services applied wood stain on the double-doors at the front of the auditorium.
• The contractor placed the wooden forms, rebar, and wire mesh for the concrete repair in Room 122F (Women’s restroom).
  • They repaired the floor in Room 122F (Women’s restroom).
• Facility Services installed the 1st Floor lounge temperature sensor.

ALLIED HEALTH/NURSING ROOF REPLACEMENT:

• The contractor installed the cap sheet at the side of the building on the atrium level.
• Crews replaced the sidewalk at the corner of Perdido and Roman Street and in the MEB loading dock area.
• They pressure washed the sidewalk where the elevator was installed and removed excess material from the roof.
• The contractor corrected the water pockets in the aluminum flashing on the atrium roof.

DENTAL AUDITORIUMS A & B RENOVATIONS:

• The electrical contractor installed panel labels for the new electrical panels.
• The contractor sealed the concrete floor in the electrical closet between the auditoriums.
• Workers replaced missing ceiling tiles in the lobby outside the auditoriums.
• The contractor applied floor sealant in the new AHU room and filled the concrete holes in the electrical closet between the auditoriums.
• The mechanical contractor balanced the HVAC in Auditorium A and B.
• The A/V contractor completed the programming and set-up of equipment in Auditorium A.
• The A/V contractor installed the dimmer control card and programmed the card.
• The IT group powered-up the equipment installed in the Access Grid racks.
• The new state of the art audio/visual system and its capabilities were demonstrated to the Dental School faculty and leadership.

MEB AIR HANDLING UNIT REPLACEMENT:

• Crews completed testing and balancing AHU 6-B and 7-B.
• The contractor demolished and removed the old air handling units 6-A and 7-A.
• They placed the new units 6-A and 7-A in position and installed hot and cold duct work.
• Crews connected the units to the new hot deck and cold ducting and began fabricating chilled water piping.
• The contractor made the duct connections between the hot and cold deck and the air handling units 6-A and 7-A.
• Crews completed the chilled water piping at AHU 6-A and AHU 7-A.
• They piped in the condensate drains at 6A and 7A.
• Power wiring and control wiring has been connected to both units.
• The sprinkler contractor completed the sprinkler installation on AHU 6A.
• The contractor completed piping heating hot water to AHU 6A.
• Fire alarm wiring for AHU 6A and 7A is complete.
• The engineer of record accepted RTU 1, RTU 2, AHU 6-D, AHU 7-D, AHU 7-C, AHU 6-B and AHU-7B.
• The next two air handling units to be replaced serve the Perdido Street/Bolivar Street corner (quadrant D) of the 4th and 5th floors. Installation of these units will start at 6:00 PM on Friday, August 21st.

MEB 7th FLOOR PHYSIOLOGY LAB RENOVATIONS:

• The contractor installed wood blocking for casework in Room 7221 and hung sheetrock to close up the wall.
• The contractor taped, floated and primed the walls in Room 7221.
• Workers removed the existing vinyl floor from Room 7207 (walk-in cooler)
• The soffit ceiling in Rooms 7241 and 7250 was framed and the sheetrock was installed.
• The contractor taped, floated, primed and painted the walls below the windows and the soffit in Rooms 7241 and 7250.
• They trenched the plaster walls in Rooms 7241, 7244, and 7250 to install new conduits.
• Crews patched floor in the walk-in cooler (Room 7206).
• The contractor roughed in plumbing in Room 7244.

RESIDENCE HALL LOBBY EXPANSION:

• The flooring contractor removed existing VCT tiles on the mezzanine level and prepped floor for carpet installation in the C Tower corner lobby area.
  • The carpet was installed.
• The contractor trimmed out electrical floor boxes between the B & C Towers.

• The network contractor ran network wires.
• The contractor primed the walls near the mailboxes and the network closet and prepared them for wallpaper.

• Conduit and the junction box were installed for the TV enclosure data drops.
• The furniture contractor continued installing the security desk station and the TV enclosure in the expanded lobby area.
• Painters touched up all walls in the recreation room.
• Crews began installing the new doors.
• The contractor patched walls across from the B & C elevators.

MEB 2nd FLOOR LOBBY RENOVATIONS:

• The contractor installed hidden doors.

LANDSCAPING:

• Facility Services completed laying delivered sod on the Tulane Avenue side of the Roman Street Garage.
• Crews are planting shrubs and plants along the Tulane Ave. side of the Roman St. Garage.

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