Thursday, March 28, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

Kerckhoff retrofit costs run over budget

By Daily Bruin Staff

Feb. 18, 1997 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 19, 1997

RENOVATION:

Federal aid put on hold; hike in $113 ‘life safety fee’
possibleBy Frances Lee

Daily Bruin Contributor

Fighting to preserve the historical integrity of Kerckhoff Hall
hasn’t been easy ­ or cheap.

Originally billed at a total cost of $40.6 million for the
seismic upgrade of both Kerckhoff and Ackerman Union, the Kerckhoff
renovation portion of the seismic upgrade is currently $1.5 million
over budget.

Students, who are already footing the bill for the seismic
retrofitting of Kerckhoff and Ackerman Union through a $113 per
year "life safety fee," could possibly face an increase in this fee
if the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) doesn’t grant
UCLA the money to finish the Kerckhoff renovation.

According to Duke Oakley, design and construction director for
Capital Programs, which oversees construction projects on campus,
the Kerckhoff portion of the seismic upgrading is about $1.5
million over budget. While $3 million was originally budgeted by
Capital Programs to repair the spires, the overruns are due in
large part to FEMA involvement.

"FEMA money is for things that were hurt in the (1994
Northridge) earthquake ­ not for the seismic upgrade," Oakley
said.

The spires on Kerckhoff Hall broke loose and rotated on their
original foundations in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Since
Kerckhoff suffered earthquake-related damage, it received FEMA
funds.

Because of its historical significance, Kerckhoff also qualified
for extra funding under the Historical Preservation Act of
1966.

Under the act, the U.S. Department of the Interior "provides
matching grants to states for the identification, evaluation and
protection of historic properties."

"Kerckhoff is a historically important building," Oakley said,
adding that everything was done to restore the spires to their
original specifications.

Thinking they had the necessary funds to repair the spires,
Capital Programs, which is in charge of both the seismic
renovations of and additions to Kerckhoff and Ackerman Union,
undertook the project.

"FEMA said, ‘We’ll pay for the spires,’" said Oakley. But,
according to FEMA, Capital Programs’ plans for the Kerckhoff
renovations did not qualify under the Interior Department’s
standards for funding.

Because Section 106 of the act gives FEMA jurisdiction over the
project and the funds,Oakley said that Capital Programs "must do
the underlying project" required by FEMA to bring the building up
to Interior Department standards.

This added requirement is the primary source of the overruns,
Oakley said, because "there’s a conflict" between what Capital
Programs was originally going to do to meet the fire marshall’s
specifications and what FEMA wants it to do in order to receive the
money.

Capital Programs has not yet bid the newest part of the project,
so exact figures are not available. Who exactly will foot the bill
for this additional work is still up in the air, although Oakley
feels that "for the added cost, FEMA should be responsible."

Assigning responsibility for this problem is "a disruptive and
worrisome process," said Oakley.

If FEMA money doesn’t come through, there is a possibility of
either a student fee increase, or the term of the fee, which was
set at 27 years, could go longer.

"If it’s an issue of safety, (the raise) may be necessary, but I
don’t know if it would be right (to do so without student
approval)," said Karen Lin, a second-year psychobiology
student.

Kerckhoff, which was built in 1931, essentially "belongs" to the
students, since it houses student organizations, student government
and the Associated Students of UCLA.

Since fall, students have been levied a $113-per-year life
safety fee to pay the debt on the construction loans for the
seismic renovation, according to Carol Sypher, a principal budget
analyst for the Academic Planning and Budget Office.

When or if the fee increase would be implemented has not been
determined.

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts