Thursday, January 6, 2011

TODAY high -2 low -9 TOMORROW high -6 low -8 Wishing our reno had flatscreens since 1906 THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2011 CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906 VOLUME 104, ISSUE 52 t hegazette Renovation delays continue Completion date moved to the end of March after several setbacks Kaleigh Rogers NEWS EDITOR If you came back from the winter break hoping to use the new lounge space in the University Community Centre, you’ve got some more wait- ing to do. Renovations to the former UCC gyms are several months behind schedule and are now slated to finish at the end of March. The space will ultimately be transformed into a multi-purpose lounge, study and meeting space for all students. The renovations were one of the results of a referendum last year, which asked students whether or not they were in support of adding a $25 fee to their student fees to fund UCC maintenance and updates. The referendum passed with 57 per cent of students in favour, with a project- ed completion date for the beginning of this school year. However, since the beginning of the project, a number of setbacks have delayed the construction from its original September 2010 estimat- ed completion date. “It’s been a bit troublesome, a little more than we would have liked. I would have expected that it would have been a five to six-month project normally, but we had setbacks at the beginning with contractual issues,” explained Paul Tomlinson, senior manager facilities and operations for the University Students’ Council. During the summer, while con- tractors were bidding for the project, one company made some errors and asked to withdraw their bid, result- ing in a long and complicated contractual battle that wasn’t resolved for weeks, setting the project back from the start. Thinking they had cleared the biggest hurdle, a new completion date was set for November, but more trou- bles arose once construction began. “It was initially supposed to be finished by the end of November at the absolute soonest — probably December. What ended up happen- ing was we had some issues with removing the floor and asbestos abatement,” Ely Rygier, vice-presi- dent finance for the USC, noted. The asbestos removal required most of the fall to complete. Following that, there have been delays in some of the building materials arriving, including a skylight that came three weeks late, Tomlinson added, pushing the final date back to March 25, 2011. He expressed frustration with the delays, but explained there are always some unknowns when dealing with renovation projects. “With renovations, you’re dealing with existing structures that probably have areas that haven’t been looked at in 30 years or more, and old plans that may not be reflective of subsequent changes and it’s always harder.” Rygier said it was disappointing for students who are leaving West- ern this year and will not get a chance to see any results from their $25 student fee. “The fourth-year students who are going to go on, who won’t get a chance to see any major renovations to the UCC, that’s frustrating,” he said. But he noted the referendum question referred only to the ongo- ing maintenance of the UCC and didn’t mention any specific project. “The nature of the referendum question last year was for, ‘Do you support making sure the UCC doesn’t fall in on itself over the next 25 years?’” However, much of the referendum information circulated last year by the USC, including a website that is still online, cited the UCC renovations as a perk to the $25 fee. “The renovations would be scheduled for completion before the first day of class in September 2010,” the website stated in an FAQ, citing the renovations as the foremost rea- son for collecting the new fee. Rygier noted the USC is hoping the project stays on track from here on out, but said they have little control over the progress. “It’s frustrating because we’re lit- erally trying to push this to go as fast as humanly possible, but we don’t actually control this renovation, the university does. So as much pres- sure as we can put on the timeline, we cannot control how fast it goes.” Nyssa Kuwahara GAZETTE WHERE ARE THE GLASS WALLS AND WATERFALLS? Construction in the University Community Centre gyms has been slow going since the project began last year. The renovation will include a mezzanine (seen on the far right), new flooring, a skylight and a stage among other improvements. Feb. 10, 2010 Referendum to renovate the UCC is held. Fifty-seven per cent of votes were in favour of the $25 student fee. February through May USC hires consultants to help prepare renovation plans. June 8, 2010 Project announced. June 29, 2010 Bids are opened and recorded. The bid by M.J. Dixon Construction is much lower than all the others. July 8, 2010 Dixon asks to withdraw from the project because their bid was inaccurate. July 23, 2010 Dixon agrees to the project a day after Western threatens legal action. August 6, 2010 First on-site meeting takes place inside the UCC gyms. August 9, 2010 Demolition commences. Planners real- ize a \subcontractor isn’t qualified to handle all materials. This is resolved the week of August 16. >> Timeline WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA • @UWOGAZETTE Islam Awareness Week Third-year social sci- ence student Kathryn Whiting tries on a hijab at Islam Awareness Week in the UCC.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

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