Construction Updates
The following messages/alerts have been distributed through our campus e-mail system and are being posted here in an effort to inform as many as possible of construction activities that may impact the campus community. Please check back frequently for any changes.
Posted May 6, 2008
The electrical loop repairs were completed April 27th, 2008. All codes and regulations are now being met and the contractors worked hard to ensure that this was fixed before any major outages occurred.
The new Humanities building contract was awarded to Pease & Sons, Inc. Construction will begin next week. As always, the CSC Web Cam will be working and will be filming the construction throughout the entire process.
As you can see now, the camera is currently pointing more towards the library side of the construction site. The reason for this is the HUMANITIES GROUNDBREAKING that is taking place on May 8th, 2008 at 3 pm. All are welcome, and if you cannot make it out, you are welcome to watch the groundbreaking on the CSC Cam.
Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation!
Posted January 15, 2008
Last power outage…………for a long while we hope.
This outage will only effect the Bremerton campus.
Next weekend we will be finishing the repairs to the electrical loop. There will be work done on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but only two days will involve power outages.
Saturday, January 19th - Work will be done on 2 switches, but there will be no outages.
Sunday, January 20th – There will be an outage lasting 2 – 3 hours that will affect the CSC, Humanities, Health Occupations and U-Quad buildings.
Monday, January 21st – There will be an all day power outage for the Bremer Student Center only.
By taking advantage of the holiday we are hoping to minimize the impact these outages will have on the campus community. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or write.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Posted December 31, 2007
In early December, OC submitted three capital project requests for funding beginning in the 2009-2011 biennium. These requests are consistent with the college’s updated master plan. The requests were as follows:
Replacement
College Instructional Center
Replace the existing Art, Music and Theater buildings with 75,000 square foot building that includes space for the programs currently housed in these buildings, as well as multi-media and health occupation programs.
Renovation
Shop Building
Renovate the Shop building, adding 6,000 square feet. The renovated facility will house welding, technical design, electronics and possibly a baking program.
Matching
Sophia Bremer Child Development Center
Build a new 10,000 square foot Child Development Center. This project is a partnership with the Bremer Trust
On December 19th and 20th, a group with representation from colleges throughout the State, as well as the SBCTC met to rate the 59 project requests submitted by community and technical colleges. They were ranked for each of the four project categories: Replacement, Growth, Renovation and Matching. This is the first of many steps leading to a ranked statewide community and technical college project list for consideration by the Governor in developing her 2009-2011 capital budget proposal, and ultimately consideration by the Washington State Legislature for inclusion in the final 2009-2011 capital budget.
OC’s three projects fared very well in this initial ranking:
Replacement – number 3 of 23 projects submitted
Renovation – number 4 of 14 projects submitted
Matching – number 3 of 13 projects submitted
Growth – 9 projects submitted, none by OC
Next the SBCTC Capital Budget Task Force will develop a capital budget proposal that will ultimately be submitted to the State Board. Once adopted, it will be forwarded to the Office of Financial Management for their review prior to developing the governor’s 2009-2011 Capital Budget Proposal.
The SBCTC Capital Budget Task Force will be looking at projects “in the pipeline” (design funds approved in current or earlier capital budgets), and determine how many projects in each of the four categories will be included in their recommendation to the State Board. They will consider past budget requests, actual funding levels, and reasonableness based upon the current economic outlook.
In summary, at this time OC’s projects are positioned well for inclusion in the 2009-2011 capital budget. I will keep the OC community informed as this process progresses.
Many thanks to the OC staff and faculty who have helped with the update to the Facility Master Plan and our three capital project requests.
Posted December 13, 2007
This message concerns the entire campus.
During recent construction we discovered some major issues within our primary electrical loop. These issues are significant to the point that repairs need to be done quickly and in a controlled environment before the real load of Winter hits, If we wait until then we risk experiencing a more catastrophic, unplanned outage that could have significant consequences.
The good news is; that we did find the problem before a major outage occurred. The bad news is; we have to create some planned, controlled outages in order to complete the repairs.
So, after much grappling with schedules, vendors and parts delivery issues – here is the schedule:
Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 22nd&23rd - Power will be shut down to the CSC, Humanities, Theater, Health Occupations, and University Quads. All day - both days.
Sunday, Dec. 30th - The entire campus will be shut down for the whole day. All day means from 7am until 6 pm or later.
There will be a scheduled shut down of the BSC on a Sunday later in January once the remainder of the parts arrive. The rest of the work will not require any outages.
Hopefully there will be minimal impact to the campus. We have tried to schedule this so that you won’t even notice the work being done J
As always, Thank-You and if you have any concerns or questions please give me a call or send me an e-mail.
I wish you all of the Best this Holiday Season!
Posted November 5, 2007
The Demo is going well and the Contractors are on schedule. Here are just a few updates to that project:
1) The sidewalk….. it was discovered that the concrete sidewalk on Chester had numerous cracks in it so this weekend we asked the Contractor to pour an asphalt sidewalk above the tree line, parallel to the existing walk. The new sidewalk is level and smoother for pedestrian safety.
2) Trees… Yes, the trees on site are scheduled to be removed. The two Poplar trees on the North side of the Haselwood Library have rooted into our electrical vaults and it was discovered on Friday that the trees are hollow on the inside. They are rotten to such an extent that a professional logger refused to climb the tree to log it for safety reasons. Tomorrow another logging company with a bucket truck will be on-site to remove the trees.
3) Trucks… For the next several days, there will be a steady stream of trucks removing concrete. I would like to ask again that people be extra attentive when negotiating that area. We have assigned a Security Guard to the area to help get the trucks in and out and the people across the street safely. With the new sidewalk, we hope that will be an easier task. There is still NO PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC ALLOWED down the fence line. This is a potentially dangerous thing to do with concrete being loaded and the traffic in general. Please be careful.
Thank-you for your patience and your interest. The response to the ‘Updates’ has been very positive and I appreciate the continued interest in your campus community!
Posted October 23, 2007
Today, at about 10 am, you should see some light demolition begin on the Math-Science building. Heavier demolition will begin around noon, barring any complications.
Posted October 18, 2007
OC Poulsbo is going well and they are still about 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule. Completion should be around Thanksgiving, barring any surprises along the way…
Playground is complete and the kids and staff are really enjoying it.
The Early Utilities project is wrapping up and Sound Excavating should be gone by Friday.
Demolition of Math-Science building. Titan Earthworks will be on site as early as Friday to begin set-up. At this point demo is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 22. If this date changes, I will let you know. The actual demolition will take 2-3 days. The remainder of the time (20-25 days) will be spent hauling away debris.
One thing you may not know – after the building is down we will be removing an underground storage tank from the site. This tank was abandoned and filled (with concrete) as required by the EPA many years ago. It was used to store heating oil. Soil samples of the site are being monitored, and if there has been any contamination of the surrounding soil, it will be removed and replaced with clean fill dirt. This type of tank abandonment was common at the time and this is nothing extraordinary, nor should it pose any sort of hazard to the campus community. Be assured that we are being extremely diligent in our efforts to remove it safely and keeping a very close watch on what, if any, effects this tank and its contents may have had on the surrounding soils.
With regards to the demolition of the building itself; we realize that this is going to be the noisiest and dirtiest project to date and with its close proximity to other buildings we have tried to set a few things in place to mitigate concerns and alleviate some of the stress:
· We have contracted with an Environmental Health and Safety company to monitor air quality on site during the demolition. There will be 3 air monitoring devices and an environmental technician on site during the entire project. They will be watching respirable dust levels and can help the contractor monitor their efforts to keep those down to a minimum.
· We have purchased several portable air “scrubbers” or filters for those in the area who feel the air in their building/office is too dusty due to construction. Some have already been distributed.
· We have set up 3 temporary computer stations in the Plan Room (#209) at FSB for anyone who is being effected by noise or vibration. For those with laptops, wireless access is also available in this building and several others on campus, contact Tom Jacobs for more info.
· We will also be reorienting the webcam so that you can watch the demo progress, that link is http://www.olympic.edu/directory/camcsc.htm . This site takes a moment to come up, so please be patient.
I hope this answers a lot of your questions but if not, please give me a call or send me an e-mail. Also, If you have any other viable ideas on how to lower the Demo Distress level, please let me know. (Keep in mind.. I said “viable” ideas J)
Thank-you for your patience, your positive attitude and your time.
(NOTE: When I say “We” on the bullet items, I really mean our crew here in Facilities, IT and the Communications department. Thank-you for all of your help in getting these things set up. It is a pleasure to work with all of you!)
Posted October 11, 2007
Due to the re-striping of 16th and Chester per the City of Bremerton in preparation for Humanities construction, we are experiencing several potentially hazardous situations on those roads.
People are still stopping in the lanes to drop off/pick-up students and this is causing back-ups and near misses. Drivers are not following the lane changes and again, we are having a few close calls each day. Remember, these are City owned roads and drivers are subject to the same rules/regulations and potential moving and parking violations as any other City street.
PLEASE help us inform the students that the only drop off area on that road is the corner at 16th & Chester, Eastbound, next to the red curb. All other parking and stopping on those lanes is no longer allowed. We would like to encourage people to use the entrances at 13th & Chester (in front of the FSB), 15th & Lincoln (the SW corner of Humanities, South side of Theater) or 15th & Broadway (behind the BSC) for drop off and pick up of students.
I know that adjusting to change can take time, I would just like to try and keep people safe during the process. Anything you can do to help spread the word is appreciated.
Posted September 25, 2007
Due to the construction fencing that will be put in place for the new Humanities building, we are being asked by the City of Bremerton to make some traffic revisions to 16th St. and Chester Avenue. Making these revisions will allow us to maintain two-way traffic along Chester during construction. This will benefit our students and be much appreciated by the residents north of the College. Unfortunately these changes will result in the loss of street parking along both roadways, including the new street parking next to Sci-Tech.
On Saturday, October 6th (weather permitting) we will begin re-striping the road from 16th and Broadway, West to Chester Ave, and along Chester, North to 17th (past the student lot). Between now and then, our Grounds crew will begin installing a multitude of signs along that route that will remain covered until the striping is done. After the striping is complete, the fence goes up and the signs are uncovered.
I know that this is going to be a frustration for several of you and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Please do not hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions.
Posted September 1, 2007
The Good News:
· The Facilities Services data room cooling project is complete and the servers located there are enjoying the consistently cool temperatures. Design work is under way to do the same for the B-100 data room.
· The OC Shelton HVAC project is complete and staff were able to move back into their office spaces on Monday 8/27.
· The CSC bathroom project is complete with the exception of some new light fixtures that we have been waiting on; should happen within the next 7 days. When our contractor comes back to install those he will replace some chipped tiles and address a few other small issues, but otherwise they are functioning beautifully.
· The Playground project will be completed next week and the licensing inspector will be onsite Thursday, 8/30. The kids could be on their new playground as early as that afternoon! Check out the playground next week – it is really beautiful.
· The Bremer Student project is going well and will be completed in plenty of time for Opening Days. A side note – we were able to get some HVAC modifications done for the Security Office at the same time so they might be breathing a little easier now.
· OC Poulsbo construction has had some challenges, but seems to be moving along well. With the help and cooperation of some amazing staff, the contractor is on-time. The initial phase will be done just prior to the beginning of Fall quarter and the Student Services area will be done in December. It is an ambitious project.
· The abatement of the Math-Science building has been completed.
· The Sci-Tech building is nearing the end of its punch list and the art work Is scheduled to be installed.
Okay, for those of you still reading – here is the Bad News…
With the asbestos abatement completed on the old Math-Sci, the Gate II sculpture relocated and plans to remove the mural in place, we have begun work on the Early Utilities project:
· This project will take the Math-Sci building off-line from all utilities and begin to set in place the infrastructure needed for the new Humanities building. For lack of a better term, this project is going to be “messy”. It involves lots of digging and relocating utilities. Although we have done everything in our power to locate what is underground, we do not have solid historical utility data for that area and there could be some surprises. Again, we have done everything we can to minimize issues during the ‘discovery’ phase of this project and if all goes just as planned, the only disruption to the campus at this point will be some noise and dust. You will notice digging around all sides of the building and some behind the PE building as we get ready to transfer over the QWEST line. There will also be some digging in front of the HO building as we upgrade the sewer and water lines to that building and the University Quad.
o Towards the end of this project the contractor will begin setting up the temporary/permanent fencing that will be the construction site for the new Humanities building. This fencing, like the one for Sci-Tech will extend into the street and will be with us for about 2 years.
o Once the fence is up, demo of the old building will begin.
o Then, on to Humanities construction and Campus Entry Phase I….
Besides all of that, Facilities staff are working on a myriad of projects that include painting, signage improvements at OC Shelton and Poulsbo and many other modifications and maintenance related issues. It is a busy Summer !
There are some exciting things going on, but these changes do not happen without some disruption and inconvenience to the campuses. We are so grateful for the supportive attitude and the flexibility of the OC community in dealing with all of this ~ Thank-You !
If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of these capital projects, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Bill Wilkie directly. If you have questions on any of the maintenance items I mentioned, please contact Samantha Powers @ 7811.
Posted 8/31/2007
After a lot of preparation, the mural has been saved and moved. As you can see from the pictures below, the preparation consisted of separating the wall, setting up support beams, and carefully sawing into thirds. Hooks were set up on each third in grout points so as to protect the integrity of the mural.
On the day of moving, August 31st, the hooks were used to hoist the first third away from the rest of the mural. The mural was then laid on its side and put onto the back of the truck. This process took about two hours, and the second third was started immediately after that. It is currently being temporarily stored until a permanent place for it is decided.
As always, thank you for your patience and support in this matter.
Posted 5/24/2006
Weather permitting; the Science-Tech contractor will be pouring large batches of concrete on June 2 & 13th. Each pour will start at 7:00am with a cement truck every 15 minutes thereafter. Each pour will last approximately 3-4 hours. The contractor will be placing a cement pumping truck inside his fencing in front of the Library building across from the smoking shelter. The cement trucks will be staged along 16th avenue inside the fenced area but will be using the Chester & 16th corner to maneuver to and from the pump truck. Throughout the morning, as each empty truck leaves and a new one arrives, the contractor will have flaggers stopping traffic and detouring pedestrians.
As a point of interest, the pour on June 2nd is 350 cubic yards of concrete making it the largest single pour to date.
Pop Quiz:
Approximately how many lineal feet of 4” thick by 3’ wide sidewalk could be poured with 350 cubic yards of concrete?
The first person emailing me back the correct answer (within 100’ plus or minus) wins an Olympic College “Safety First” T-shirt compliments of Facilities Services.
Please post this or pass along to students and staff who may not otherwise receive this notice.
As always, thanks for your patience and good luck on the quiz.
Posted 4/26/2006
The Science-Tech contractor will be pouring large batches of concrete on May 3, 8, & 12. Each pour will start at 7:00am with a cement truck every 15 minutes thereafter. Each pour will last approximately 3 hours. The contractor will be placing a cement pumping truck inside his fencing in front of the Library building across from the smoking shelter. The cement trucks will be staged along 16th avenue inside the fenced area but will be using the Chester & 16th corner to maneuver to and from the pump truck. Throughout the morning, as each empty truck leaves and a new one arrives, the contractor will have flaggers stopping traffic and detouring pedestrians.
As a side note, both the Science-Tech and the Bookstore/Student Center projects are on schedule and within budget.
As usual… we are making noise, causing detours, impacting your parking, breaking waterlines, killing the power and generally making your lives miserable… all in the name of progress. Just keep in mind… it will all be over soon. Okay… so as soon as Science Tech is done we will start on Humanities… but after THAT it will be over. Well except for the old Humanities demolition and the new parking structure it will be done.
Please post this or pass along to students and staff who may not otherwise receive this notice.
As always, thanks for your patience.
Posted 2/6/06
Regarding the geopier installation today...
The Geopiers are installed with a moderate size hydraulic hammer that would typically be used to break up concrete. The noise is a typical construction jobsite noise, but it is loud. At the source the noise level is about 100 decibels. We will use a noise blanket or jacket on the hammer. The noise is loud on the jobsite and will definitely be heard in the library and throughout much of the campus. However, the noise dissipates with distance and should not be very disturbing. In the bookstore building, the noise will be disturbing on the other site of the wall from the work area.
Vibration should not be a problem. The vibration is evident at the impact location but dissipates rapidly with distance. At only 5 to 10 feet from the impact point the vibration is greatly reduced and minimal. At 50 feet it would not be noticeable. On the Science and Tech site, the vibrations are not an issue. At the bookstore vibrations may be felt in the building during installation of only several of the Geopiers that are immediately adjacent to the building. These Geopiers will be constructed quickly and should not be a problem. We can install these piers at a specified time if desired.
We do not expect that the work will cause any disturbance or adverse effect on the landscape. The only potential impact would be the destruction of roots during drilling. Unless the landscape is located very close to the Geopier locations, this should not be an issue.
Posted 2/1/06
The Geopier installation scheduled to begin this week has been postponed until February 6th; the Geopier contractor is finishing up a project in Utah. In addition, in response to our concern over the noise issue and after consulting with an acoustician, the General Contractor and the Geopier sub-contractor had a custom made sound absorbing blanket manufactured to fit over the “head” of the ram driver. This will not eliminate the noise, but it will mitigate it to the extent possible.
This Saturday, February 4th there will be a total power outage in the Library and PE building. This outage is required as part of the Science-Tech project and has been scheduled on Saturday to minimize the disruption to normal campus activity.
Facilities Services personnel will work with the general contractor and the high voltage specialist and power will be restored by Saturday afternoon.
Posted 1/27/06
The Science-Tech contractor unearthed some asbestos containing building material; about 200’ of abandoned cement asbestos water pipe. In its present form, it does not pose a health hazard however it does meet the minimum criteria to require a permit for abatement.
The abatement will be done by Correctional Industries and will start on February 8th.
Posted 1/26/06
I have good news and bad news…
The bad news is both the contractor for the Bookstore and the contractor for the Science-Tech building will be installing “Geopier Rammed Aggregate Piers” beginning the February 1st or 2nd.
|
|
|
|
|
What is a Geopier Rammed Aggregate Pier? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Geopier Rammed Aggregate Pier is a stiff and highly densified inclusion of rammed crushed aggregate that is installed by drilling a 24-inch to 36-inch diameter hole and ramming thin lifts of well-graded aggregate within the hole. The drilled holes typically extend 10 to 25 feet below grade and 7 to 20 feet below footing bottoms. The first lift of aggregate forms a bulb below the bottoms of the piers, thereby pre-stressing and pre-straining the soils to a depth equal to at least one pier diameter below drill depths. Subsequent lifts are typically about 12 inches in thickness. Ramming takes place with a high-energy beveled tamper that both densifies the aggregate and forces the aggregate laterally into the sidewalls of the hole. This action increases the lateral stress in surrounding soil, thereby further stiffening the stabilized composite soil mass. |
|
If you want more information regarding Geopiers, visit http://www.geopiers.com/index.asp?id=11
The “ramming” process is loud and obnoxious and, if all goes as planned, will last 3-4 days. We are limited in our ability to mitigate the disruptions from this type of activity. We are presently working with the contractors to install sound blankets in an attempt to drive the noise up rather than out and have requested they concentrate their activities into the shortest duration possible. To that end, the Geopier installer will work both sites simultaneously.
The good news? The good news is that once this activity is complete we will have the worst part behind us. That’s not to say there will not be any more disruptive activities, but this is by far the worst.
And remember… we are making noise, causing detours, impacting your parking, breaking waterlines, killing the power and generally making your lives miserable… all in the name of progress.
Please post this or pass along to students and staff who may not otherwise receive this notice.
As always, thanks for your patience.
Posted 1/24/06
A new detour…
Due to construction requirements the contractor for Science-Tech needs to extend the current fence line. It will now encompass the portion of sidewalk that people have been using to get from the main entrance at 16th & Chester to the Humanities building.
In order to compensate for this loss of sidewalk they are going to put in a temporary asphalt walkway. However, in order to accomplish that they need to extend the current fence line out even further, requiring people to use the sidewalk in front of the Haselwood Library. This is for ONE DAY ONLY, tomorrow, January 25th. The new walkway should be ready for use on Thursday.
Posted 1/18/06
The good news is that they are almost through with the demo of the bookstore; the noisiest part of that work should be completed by tomorrow afternoon. There might be some occasional loud noises throughout the construction, but these should be intermittent and on a much smaller scale.
More about those occasional loud noises…..
The contractor will mobilize on the 1st of February and begin installing geopiers on the 2nd or 3rd. This requires a pile driving machine but will only be a one day process once they begin. We are doing everything we can to minimize the noise, including installation of sound blankets. We will also send out a reminder to ALL the day before they actually begin setting the piers.
We are VERY aware that all of this construction is having an effect on students, staff and faculty and cannot emphasize enough how much we appreciate your tolerance and understanding.