De Neve project behind schedule

Friday, January 15, 1999

De Neve project behind schedule

DYKSTRA: Housing urges admissions, contractors to ease dorm
crowding

By George Fujii

Daily Bruin Contributor

In an effort to reduce crowding in the dorms, the housing
administration is working with the admissions department to admit
1,100 fewer freshmen in fall 1999, said Michael Foraker, director
of housing administration.

Foraker was one of the featured presenters at a Dykstra Hall
Town Hall meeting Wednesday night. The meeting was meant to inform
Dykstra residents about construction on the De Neve Plaza
project.

About 100 Dykstra residents attended the presentation in the Tom
Bradley International Hall, which also featured members of the
Dykstra construction mitigation committee.

The De Neve Plaza housing project will be completed in two
phases. The housing buildings are scheduled to open in September
1999 with 866 new beds. The remaining buildings, which will house a
cafeteria and other amenities, are scheduled to open in May
2000.

A concern of students present was how next year’s UCLA class
would affect overcrowding in on-campus housing.

"The plan is 4,000 new freshmen for fall, or 200 fewer than this
year," Foraker said.

De Neve Plaza construction has been delayed due to various
reasons, including building redesigns and the rain caused by last
year’s El Nino weather pattern.

According to Foraker, the contractors have been instructed to
find a way to make up for lost time.

To complete the housing portion of De Neve by September, work
hours will be extended to go from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Originally,
construction hours went from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but those hours have
been periodically extended during the construction of the
project.

Once the housing buildings are enclosed, interior work will be
allowed until 9 p.m., according to Foraker.

Ed Lloyd, the university’s representative for the De Neve
project, explained the delays to the residents at the meeting.
Construction is two to five months behind schedule, according to
Lloyd.

In order to make up lost time, construction has taken place on
Saturdays and in the evenings.

"The construction firms are given an incentive to finish early,"
Lloyd said.

De Neve Plaza’s addition of 866 beds will be offset by the
scheduled closure of Sunset Village’s Courtside building in fall
2000, which will mean the loss of 427 beds.

Courtside suffered water damage and dry rot, causing leakage
into dorm rooms. The university recently reached a $14 million
settlement with some of the contractors involved.

Repairs would require a new roof and new plaster, and would take
a year, Lloyd said.

Foraker added that about 6,800 residents are anticipated for
on-campus housing next year, an increase of about 600 from this
year. Housing also plans to reduce the number of triple-occupancy
rooms.

De Neve Plaza’s housing will be all double rooms with private
bathrooms. The rooms will be 30 percent larger than Courtside’s
rooms, and 25 percent larger than Delta Terrace or Canyon Point
rooms. De Neve will also be the most expensive on-campus housing
option, slightly more expensive than Sunset Village, according to
Alan Hanson, director of residential life.

Officials also announced measures to reduce construction noise.
A prior plan to double-pane the construction side windows of
Dykstra will begin as a pilot program in two weeks, Hanson
said.

Sound blankets on construction equipment is also an option that
has been discussed, Lloyd said.

Dykstra residents continue to receive construction mitigation
benefits, which include a free microfridge, an extra housekeeper
and periodic snacks.

Suzanne Seplow, the south area director, said that Dykstra
residents would also receive priority room signup for housing next
year.

Seplow also praised the patience of Dykstra residents in dealing
with construction.

"I want to reiterate my appreciation and thanks for all of the
student leaders, the student staff and the residents of Dykstra,"
she said.

Mary Niven, the director of residential dining services,
mentioned further Dykstra incentives, as well as other dining
changes. In two weeks, residents will receive a monthly package of
snacks.

Dykstra residents will also have a special dinner on March 3, in
addition to the all-hall special dinner on Jan. 27.

Also, beginning Jan. 25, services will be expanded at the
Bradley Hall International Cafe to include a separate menu for
dinner, which had previously been the same as lunch. Sandwiches
will be replaced with items such as noodle bowls and roast turkey,
according to Niven.

Laura Riley, Dykstra’s resident director, said that resident
concerns raised at weekly food and environment meetings have
facilitated student-administration contact on the De Neve
project.

Further information on the De Neve project will be available at
the end of March or early April with more De Neve presentations and
"Hard Hat Tours" of the construction site, Lloyd said.PATIL
ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin

University Representative Ed Lloyd, a liaison between housing
and construction, speaks at a town hall meeting for the De Neve
Plaza project.

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