LA buildings to undergo $4 million renovations

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct the cost of renovating Liberal Arts buildings 2, 3 and 4.

Liberal Arts buildings 2, 3 and 4 will be closed from summer 2012 until fall 2013 due to seismic retrofitting and upgrades to the mechanical and electrical systems.

LA 1 and 5 will remain open during construction. According to Mary Stephens, vice president of administration and finance, classes scheduled in LA 2, 3 and 4 will move to Peterson Hall 1 and 2.

“We have PH 1 and 2, which were vacated when we opened the Hall of Science building,” Stephens said. “Some of the labs that had tables and chairs that were affixed, we are removing so we can convert those rooms into classrooms that can have moveable desks.”

Cal State Long Beach proposed a plan to renovate the LA buildings in July 2010. During fall 2011, the design work was started for these plans.

The proposed plan was set to include seismic upgrading and upgrades for accessibility for the disabled according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The proposal also included plans to upgrade the electrical systems and the telecom and data infrastructure.

Stephens said that the project was scaled back due to budget cuts.

“We thought, originally, if we’re going to close these buildings, why not do all these things?” Stephens said. “But that was another 5 or 6 million dollars.”

That plan was also set to include new windows, removal and installation of new roofs, heating ventilation and air conditioning, upgrades to the classrooms with smart classroom technology and upgrades to the finishes in all the classrooms.

Now, the $4 million project will only include what is necessary for health and safety issues.

“What we’re focusing on is the seismic repairs, the ADA for the handicap accessibility issues and the electrical systems, because one of the things we need to accomplish is to be able to make those classrooms smart to be able to put in projectors and computers and things like that,” Stephens said.

According to Stephens, only the three LA buildings are at the priority level to be fixed.

CSULB is currently deciding what Peterson Hall 1 and 2 buildings will be used for when the renovations are done.

“The actual construction [will be finished] in early May of 2013,” Stephens said. “Then we’ll have to move everyone back in over the summer, so classes can resume fall of 2013.”