ASUCLA focuses on repairing ceiling leaks in campus buildings
The Kerckhoff Hall patio was scheduled to be waterproofed during the summer of 2017, but ASUCLA reallocated the $400,000 earmarked for the repairs for more immediate projects. (Miriam Bribiesca/Photo editor)
By Yun Kyung (Anny) Kim
April 10, 2017 10:23 p.m.
Associated Students UCLA officials are continuously repairing ceilings and interior damage to campus buildings due to leakages.
Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall have had frequent ceiling leaks for several years. ASUCLA, which oversees these buildings, will address leaks through ongoing repairs as they develop more comprehensive renovation plans for the future, said ASUCLA director Roy Champawat.
In winter 2016, ASUCLA officials had projected an allocation of $400,000 to waterproof Kerckhoff patio and stop leakages in Kerckhoff offices during summer 2017. However, ASUCLA temporarily set aside its plans for the Kerckhoff patio renovation to focus on leaks that require immediate repair.
“We try to prioritize problems that need immediate attention and work to fix them first, which is why we react to leaks before we can plan a comprehensive plan to renovate the whole building,” Champawat said.
The Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement office, which is under Kerckhoff patio, has had occasional leaks in different areas, and ASUCLA has responded with temporary solutions, said SOLE director Mike Cohn.
“They have been responsive, but I think it’s an ongoing problem they are trying to fix,” Cohn said.
A representative of the UCLA Events Office, which is also under the patio, said the office has leakages every time it rains. However, ASUCLA Maintenance provided a temporary solution by replacing leaking ceiling panels with tubes to drain water into buckets.
In June, ASUCLA will waterproof expansion joints of the Ackerman food court patio which have caused several leaks in Ackerman, he added.
“This will cost us about $175,000 just to do that one sealing,” Champawat said. “So this illustrates how expensive it is just to fix a minor problem.”
ASUCLA allocates about $3 million from student union fees and earnings from union businesses for everyday maintenance expenses and capital projects, Champawat said.
In fall 2015, ASUCLA allocated a total of about $40,000 to repair and resurface part of Kerckhoff patio as an immediate short-term solution to fix office leaks.
Facilities management found that the leaks in Kerckhoff offices were caused by the deterioration of water containment units and the drainage system under the patio from water damage.
Champawat added that both Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall are older buildings that require ongoing maintenance, so there are continuous outgoing maintenance expenses.
“Ackerman is nearly 60 years old and Kerckhoff is pushing 90 years old at this point,” Champawat said. “And the most comprehensive renovation we did with Kerckhoff was in the 1990s.”
He said ASUCLA officials do not have a specific timeline for the maintenance projects or when there will be a larger Kerckhoff patio renovation.
“I know that at some point in the future we need to fix the patio,” Champawat said. “Seemingly in the short, immediate term, that’s not the top thing in our priority list but at some time it will have to occur.”
