Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Facilities Management and OIT started replacing the cabling and network equipment in the Gillespie building on Monday, April 13.
• Two phased project approach has been implemented to minimize service disruption and adhere to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines:
  1. During remote work schedule due to COVID-19:
     • Installing, terminating, and testing cables from data room to wall outlet in labs and office spaces that are easily accessible and not connected.
     • Installing new equipment in IDF rooms.
     • No impact to service is expected during this phase; no equipment will be disconnected and no furniture will be moved during this phase.
  2. After remote work schedule (staff has returned to office):
     • To install, terminate, and test cables from data room to wall outlet in labs and office spaces that are connected and/or not accessible (blocked by furniture) during phase one.
     • Cutover services from old network equipment to new network equipment in the data room.
     • Prior to disconnecting any equipment, moving furniture, or putting new network services onto the new equipment, FM and OIT will coordinate with Gillespie faculty.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Facilities Management has completed the preventive maintenance project at Gillespie.
• All the old chilled water pipefittings in 3^rd floor labs have been replaced.
• Main pipefittings on fan coils’ chilled water lines in conference rooms have been replaced.
• Building isolation valves on chilled water lines have been replaced.
• Contractors are currently repairing the drop ceilings in conference rooms and 3^rd floor labs.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• To reduce risk of similar floods at Gillespie, Facilities Management has developed a project to replace chilled water pipes fittings on the 3^rd floor and fittings on fan coils main chilled water lines in conference rooms.
• First phase of the project will start on Monday, Feb. 3^rd to install new isolation valves on main chilled water lines outside building.
• Second phase is scheduled to start on Friday, Feb. 21^st at 6 p.m. and will be completed on Sunday, 23^rd at 9 p.m.
• Construction zones during second phase will be limited to conference rooms on all three floors, Room 3206 and hallway outside 3206 and 3210. Contractors will start preparation during the week of Feb 17^th in these areas.
• Chilled water supply will be shut down to the building during the second phase of construction. Air handlers operation and heating will not be disturbed.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Drywall repairs, painting, flooring, and carpentry works have been completed in the atrium, conference rooms, and common area.
• All the labs, offices, conference rooms, and vivarium are accessible and operational.
• Detailed cleaning is schedule for the week of Jan 13.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Atrium: Drywall replacement and painting is completed. Carpenters have started to install wood panels and cove bases.
• Common Area: New carpet and vinyl floor installation will start on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
• Note: A whole building fire alarm system test is scheduled for Thursday 19, 6:30 a.m. Test will take 1 hour. Occupants do not need to leave the building during the test.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Drywall repairs, painting, flooring and cove base installation in lab area of all three floors are completed.
• Construction crew is working two shifts in atrium. Drywall installation and painting will be completed by Dec. 13 in atrium.
• We will start flooring in common area during week of Dec. 16.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• First floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting and flooring are completed.
• Second floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting and flooring are completed.
• Third floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting and flooring are completed. Crew will continue with cove base installation.
• Atrium: Construction crew are working 2 shifts in atrium. To accommodate ongoing research and working environment, contractors are performing noisy and disruptive tasks during the night shift.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• First floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting, and flooring are completed.
• Second floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting, and flooring are 90% completed. Per users’ request, last 10% will be completed during next week to accommodate an ongoing research project.
• Third floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting, and flooring are completed. Construction crew are mobilized out. Cleaning crew will continue with final wipe down and moving equipment back in place.
• Atrium: Construction crew are working 2 shifts in atrium. To accommodate ongoing research and working environment, contractors are performing noisy and disruptive tasks during the night shift.
• Construction in vivarium is completed.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• First floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting, and flooring are 90% completed; expecting to complete this scope by Nov. 15.
• Second floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting, and flooring are 80% completed; expecting to complete this scope by Nov. 20.
• Third floor lab area: Drywall repairs, painting, and flooring are 85% completed; expecting to complete this scope by Nov. 18.
• Repairs in atrium will start on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
• Main vivarium entrance on east side of the building will be off access till Friday, Nov. 15 due to construction and repairs. Please use loading dock entrance door or freight elevator to access basement and vivarium.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• All office repairs are completed. All pieces of furniture are moved back in to offices. Unpacking is completed.
• First phase of construction lab area is completed. Second phase is scheduled to be completed by Monday, November 4.
• OIT is developing the scope for IT/phone cabling replacement. Details and schedule will be shared in advance.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• First floor construction is complete: furniture is back in offices and crew are unpacking boxes.
• Second and third floor office construction is on schedule.
• Monday, October 21: Repair phase in lab area will begin.
• Construction zones will be inaccessible for one week.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Construction is on schedule and all offices with ongoing construction will have their furniture back by Monday, October 21.
• Wednesday, October 16: Repairs will begin on common area walls and Amir will begin to reach out to each lab contact to review the lab repair schedule.
• Friday, October 18: Begin the process of packing up the second half of offices on the 2nd and 3rd floor.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• 95% of moist walls are cut open on one side in labs area.
• Dry out process will continue through the week.
• Scientific Refrigeration started to assess flood damages on all freezers and refrigerators this afternoon and will continue throughout the week.
• Contractors have started packing offices. Starting Tuesday, October 1, we will start cutting walls open in offices.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• First floor, lab area: 99% of moist walls are cut open.
• Second floor, lab area: 85% of moist walls are cut open.
• Third floor, lab area: 85% of moist walls are cut open.
• Common area: 65% of moist walls are cut open.
• On Monday 9/30, we will have crew available to start packing loose and small items in offices (first floor). If you would like to be present during packing, please call/text Amir at (949) 343-5375 before 10 a.m. After that we will start packing for you.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• First floor, lab area: 95% of moist walls are cut open.
• Second floor, lab area: 40% of moist walls are cut open.
• Third floor, lab area: site walks with PIs and researchers are completed. 30% of moist walls are cut open.
• Common area: 60% of moist walls are cut open.
• Construction crew will continue working during this weekend (September 28 & 29).

Additional Notes:

• All carpets in offices and common area will be replaced.
• All damaged walls in offices will be painted.
• For inspection purposes, remediation and to get access to walls and cove bases, we may need to move your furniture.
• Starting Saturday September 28, we will leave card board boxes in each office. Please start packing your personal items, breakable, loose papers, wall frames or any item on shelves that may get damaged during moving process.
• Detailed schedule for repairs in offices will be shared in advance.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• 75% of lab walls located on first floor are cut open; goal is to complete work on first floor tomorrow (09.27.19).
• Site walk with second floor lab personnel is complete; moving equipment and cutting walls will begin at 8 a.m. tomorrow (09.27.19).
• Site walk with third floor lab personnel is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow (09.27.19). Amir will contact each lab representative to accompany site walk.

Update from Amir Avarhosseini, Construction Project Manager

• Portable power strips that got wet during the flood should be replaced. Contact Amir, 949-343-5375 (C), if you need a power strip.
• The drying out process continues. The walls in all labs and offices have been tested for moisture, and a map was created identifying areas that need to be opened and/or replaced. Dry wall in common areas have been opened up to help the dry-out process.
• Dry wall in areas of the labs that are accessible have been opened up to help the dry-out process.
• All outlets that do not have equipment plugged in have been tested. All faulty outlets have been marked as “out of service”. Repair of these circuits is in process.
• Outlets with equipment plugged in have not been checked unless lab personnel has been present. Contact Amir if there are any outlets that need to be checked.
• The passenger elevator remains out of service. A date for restoration of service has not been determined. The freight elevator is operational.
• Target work for Thursday, September 26
  • Amir will begin reaching out to lab personnel identified as point of contact to share planned construction activities in each lab, and to request assistance relocating equipment to gain access to walls that need to be opened to help the dry-out process.
  • We will need lab personnel support to safely move equipment to get access to wet walls. Relocated equipment will not be accessible for one business day.

• Remediation crews have been working alongside IT, EH&S, ULAR to restore the Gillespie building to operational status. Air conditioning is operational in the vivarium. Office and lab areas are generally being maintained at warmer temperatures with blowers to enhance drying.
• The building will be open beginning Tuesday, September 24 at 8:00 a.m. Deliveries will resume as usual at that time. Dumpsters and other waste containers will be made available.
• Safety is of utmost importance. Please adhere to guidelines provided by EH&S, ULAR and UCI Facilities Management.

Update from Tom Dalebout and Sri Bharadwaj

• All PCs and monitors have been reviewed and tested; resulted in a couple of failed computers.
• All monitors all turned back on. Unless they have damage from water spots, they should be in working order.
• New power strips were provided for all used ones that computers were plugged into. Andrew King is returning the remaining computers today.

• The vivarium has been stabilized and is operating as usual, outside of one room in which lighting is maintained through a temporary system. No animal lives were lost and all are in good condition. The vivarium can be accessed for treatment of animals.

Until outlets are approved for use by facilities electricians, do not turn on instruments or plug them in. Approved power strips for computers and other instruments will be provided. Power strips present during the flood should be assumed to be unreliable as they may contain residual moisture and could short out. Equipment may of course be turned off and unplugged.

High-end equipment that could have encountered moisture during the flood must be evaluated by technical representatives from the vendor. Please coordinate repair and evaluation appointments through Amir Anvarhosseini. Do not attempt to use equipment, even if it appears to be in good condition.

The timing for completion of the remediation will be determined by ongoing expert evaluations.

How should we address lost research records? As a reminder, research data is owned by the University. Therefore, notebooks and other research logs should be properly assessed to determine any damage/loss, and, to the extent possible, ensure that copies of original data are preserved for physical retention of the University. Any loss of research data as a result of the Gillespie flood may need to be officially reported and should be documented during the recovery process.

Generally, personal property is not covered by insurance. However, the Dean’s office is collecting a list of personal belongings damaged in the flood to determine what can be done to mitigate losses.

UC Insurance will repair or replace and reimburse at 90% of replacement costs at current market value.

Important information about insurance claims and building remediation progress will be shared at the meeting on Thursday, September 26 at 2 p.m. in Irvine Hall.

Under BUS 81 (UC Property Insurance), UCI provides coverage for risks of physical loss or damage to real and personal property owned by the University; in which the University has an insurable interest; in the care, custody or control of the University; for which the University has received instructions or agreed to insure under written contract prior to a loss; or for which the University is legally liable.

Document loss or damaged equipment by using the UCI Property Damage Inventory form . Do not dispose of damaged equipment until it has been authorized by the adjuster or Risk Services.

How will the extent of damage to equipment be evaluated? Equipment should be cleaned and dried before testing in an approved circuit. Some equipment may need minor repairs to assess damage. This work can be authorized as necessary in consultation with Risk Services. Do not throw away damaged computer boards replaced as part of the evaluation. Obtain quotes for repair vs. replacement. We will evaluate the list of damaged equipment and some items may be authorized for immediate replacement (e.g., if the cost of evaluation is more than replacement). Equipment may need to be evaluated by a service technician to document damage and verify cause.

The insurance program generally funds the reimbursement after the entire claim package has been submitted. In cases of high value losses or specific high value equipment it may be possible to obtain advance funding.

If you have an upcoming proposal deadline and the Gillespie flood hinders you from completing your proposal by the deadline, you can reach out directly to the program contact listed in your funding opportunity announcement to request an extension to the published due date. In your request, briefly describe the incident, the extent of the damage to your equipment, resources, and workspace, and how much additional time you need. These are reviewed and determined on a case-by-case basis with the sponsor. Usually extensions (when granted by sponsors) are approved for up to 2 weeks and should be given to you in writing. If you deem it helpful, the SOM Office of Research can provide you with a document regarding the extent of the disruption to your specific laboratory. If you would like to discuss your particular situation or need assistance with a request for an extension, please contact Caron Miller, SOM Director of Contracts and Grants at caron@uci.edu.

For those who have current sponsored awards (e.g., grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, subcontracts, etc.) and are unable to either finish a progress report that is due soon, or feel project progress or milestones will be delayed due to this incident, communication with the sponsor’s Program/Technical Officer may be warranted in order to seek an extension to reporting deadlines or a modification to your award. Once the extent of the damage/loss is determined as well as the length of delay in getting back to a functional state, you will need to assess the status of each of your awards at that time and notify the sponsor for adjustments and extensions as needed. If you would like to discuss your particular situation or need assistance communicating with the sponsor, please contact Caron Miller, SOM Director of Contracts and Grants at caron@uci.edu.

If you are undergoing an academic evaluation for a merit or promotion and you will be impacted in the near term in generating the appropriate documentation for this action, please reach out directly to Vice Dean for Research, Suzanne Sandmeyer, at sbsandme@uci.edu.