Buzzing power tools and the constant pounding of hammers continue to echo throughout Cal State Long Beach.
Projected to be completed in May 2011, the Hall of Science is currently a mass network of skeletal steel. Budget cuts previously halted construction on the mammoth project, but work has since resumed. The 156,524 gross square-foot building will replace the former Peterson Hall 3 science building.
On the east side of campus, the future Student and Recreation Wellness Center saw its share of controversy. Funded entirely through students, some were against the motion of increasing student fees — $110 a semester beginning next fall — for the project. A February 2007 referendum determined otherwise.
SRWC cost $62 million to build, and the Hall of Science required $102 million. Each project comes with a hefty price, and each has its share of dust and noise.
Some students say they don’t mind the constant screech of steel grinding and workers shouting.
“I personally like it because it shows we’re advancing as a campus,” said Jennifer Tu, a senior psychology major. “And also when I look around at other campuses, they’re so much more advanced.”
Mark Zakhour, the senior construction manager who oversees both projects, is confident CSULB is moving in the right direction. Everyday, construction management analyzes schedules, checks the budget and, as a state agency, is responsible for performing inspections.
The magnitude of two major construction projects requires Zakhour to coordinate with contractors who in turn coordinate with subcontractors. The SRWC’s building, pool and landscape are each managed by separate firms and encounter different problems along the way.
Usually, they are issues such as “things you find underground that you don’t know are there, miscellaneous issues with the designer,” Zakhour said. “Things don’t go together like you think, or material is late. You have all kinds of issues everyday.”
Students might remember groaning over the delayed opening of the Outpost restaurant last semester.
This time around, construction seems to be on target, thanks to better contractors and the full cooperation from campus. Zakhour said construction is going smooth and that the SRWC is slated to finish in August 2010, a month before the projected completion date.
“We have two very good contractors. We’re fortunate to be on schedule moving forward just like planned, which is nice. We get problems and we’re able to work through them,” Zakhour said.
While the Hall of Science construction previously hiccupped due to budget cuts, construction of the SRWC has been on track, mainly because of student funding.
Last February, construction crews finished setting the structural steel. Concrete was poured in June and July. Now, workers are donning hardhats in preparation for the upcoming wet season.
“We’re working some overtime and making that big push,” Zakhour said, “so when we hit the winter, we won’t have big delays from the rain.”
Navigating through a network of steel on wet planks could mean injuries. That, coupled with power tools inoperable in moist weather, is pressuring crews to finish constructing the building’s exterior.
Dave Edwards, associate executive director of Associated Students Inc., said he is excited about what students will see in spring 2010.
“By the time they come back in January, the external aspects of the building will be finished, so you’ll begin to see what the outside of the building will look like,” Edwards said.
Also new for spring 2010 will be the Preview and Membership Registration Center located on the first floor of the University Student Union.
“Students can come in to test the equipment as well as sign up for their membership. When we open [the recreation center] they can walk right in the doors and start working out, playing basketball, swimming in the pool — everything,” Edwards said.
The Preview and Membership Registration Center will provide a free sample of what the SRWC offers. Exercise equipment such as treadmills, spinners and weights will be available for use as long as the registration center is open.
Students returning for the fall 2010 semester will then have access to the completed SRWC. The facility includes 20,000 square feet of weight and fitness machines — the largest in Southern California, according to a 2007 needs assessment. The area also boasts 16 large plasma television screens to either play 16 different programs or combine to show one large program. Guests can plug headphones into their exercise machines to access the audio.
Besides weights and fitness machines, students can run around the indoor track, spike a volleyball under the sun or climb a rock wall. The ASI-run recreation center will also feature a health food shop and café.
Edwards said faculty, staff and alumni are welcome to use the facility, but they must pay membership fees which will be determined by the USU board of trustees this fall.
Some students finishing up college dislike paying for a service they will never use. For some, it is $110 a semester down the drain. For others, charity is their reasoning.
“I don’t mind paying as long as the recreation center gets built, as long as other people get to use it, like the younger generation,” said Nikkaela Caballo, a senior business management major. “I’m pretty sure sometime they’re going to be going to college here at Cal State Long Beach. When I pass by school and I see that recreation center, I can say, ‘Yes, I helped pay for that, you know?’ I’ll be really proud of it.”