Gilchrist Hall Update

June 23, 2008

UNI offices begin returning to Gilchrist Hall in July

Offices and departments displaced by the October 2005 fire in Gilchrist Hall will begin moving into the newly renovated building the week of July 7. The move-in schedule is as follows:

October 12, 2007

Pair plead guilty in UNI Gilchrist Hall arson case

Almost two years to the day arsonists set a series of fires on the University of Northern Iowa campus, two of the men charged in the case were sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Aaron Scott Lessmeier, 22, and Tanner James Wilkens, 24, each pled guilty in Black Hawk County District Court to three counts of second-degree arson for the fires that damaged UNI's Gilchrist, Lang and Baker halls on Oct. 16, 2005.

Under a plea agreement, Lessmeier and Wilkens were sentenced to three consecutive 10-year prison terms. The men also were ordered to pay $2 million in restitution.

Between midnight and 1:15 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005, fires were set in Lang, Baker and Gilchrist halls. While damage was minimal in Lang and Baker halls, Gilchrist Hall, UNI's main administration building, sustained $10.2 million in damage and is currently being restored.

Construction is expected to be completed in June 2008.

October 9, 2007

On Aug. 28, Cardinal Construction was awarded the contract for reconstruction work on Gilchrist Hall. Concrete demolition, ductwork and electrical rough-in have begun. The framing for the interior walls is ongoing, and masonry will begin soon. Cardinal Construction, whose bid was within budget at $4,610,645, is working with Young Plumbing & Heating Co. and Community Electric.

Construction is expected to be complete by June 2008, and the building should be available for occupancy in the fall 2008.

Current interior of Gilchrist

August 17, 2007

Work under the Gilchrist Hall asbestos removal contract has been completed. Bids were received for the reconstruction work and are within budget. A recommendation to award a contract to the low bidder is being forwarded to the Board of Regents Office. Upon approval, a contract will be awarded and construction work will begin.

March 13, 2007

Approval of to move ahead with Phase II restoration
  

On March 13, the Board of Regents, State of Iowa approved Phase II of the Gilchrist hall project -- schematic design, project description and budget for renovation and restoration. The university plans to bid the renovation work in July 2007, following completion of the asbestos-abatement work currently underway. The project is expected to be completed in June 2008. The Phase II budget is $5,721,605. The total project budget is $7,255,605.
  

The schematic design for the renovation project maintains in Gilchrist Hall the Follon Student Services Center and other student-related functions, as well as the offices of Business Operations, Public Safety/Parking, Human Resource Services, and Compliance and Equity Management.
  

The offices of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, Information Technology, and Financial Accounting and Reporting Services, will not return to Gilchrist Hall. These functions are being relocated to the CET building, located at 2304 College St., on the east edge of campus.
   

These relocations will allow space for moving additional student-related services to Gilchrist Hall and will help improve student convenience and staff collaboration. Additional offices slated to move to Gilchrist Hall are International Programs, Disability Services and Vocational Rehabilitation.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Four arrests made in connection with 2005 UNI campus fires

A series of arrests were made today in the ongoing investigation of three separate fires set in University of Northern Iowa buildings on Oct. 16, 2005. Four suspects were arrested, two in West Des Moines and two in Cedar Falls.

Charged with three counts each of first-degree arson, and one count each of second-degree arson, are Aaron Scott Lessmeier, 21; and Tanner James Wilkens, 24. Both men live in West Des Moines.

Charged with one count each of perjury are Paul Joseph Cain, 24; and Randy Joseph Wilkens, 21. Both Paul Cain and Randy Wilkens live in Cedar Falls and are UNI students.

The four men are in custody awaiting initial hearings. The investigation continues.

First-degree arson is a class-B felony and is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Second-degree arson is a class-C felony and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine ranging from $500 to $10,000. Perjury is a class-D felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine ranging from $500 to $7,000.

Between midnight and 1:15 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005, fires were set in UNI's Lang Hall, Baker Hall and Gilchrist Hall. While damage was minimal in Lang and Baker halls, Gilchrist Hall, UNI's main administration building, remains closed. The cost of restoring Gilchrist Hall is estimated at $10.2 million.

Dec. 21, 2006

The university has reached an agreement with the insurance company regarding the building, equipment and furnishings. Documents are being prepared for the asbestos removal contract. We hope to bid the project in February and have work begin in February as well. We expect the total project -- asbestos removal, restoration and renovation to take a year to a year and a half. For more specifics, see the November 2006 Board of Regents docket.

Updated renovation/restoration costs:
 

$ 7,030,150   Building restoration (code updates included)
$ 1,350,000   Equipment replacement
$ 1,000,000   Extra expense coverage (estimate)
$ 225,455      Furniture replacement in immediate area of fire
$ 100,000      Miscellaneous/unknown items (estimate)
$ 500,000      Fire clean-up (estimate)
$10,205,605   Total potential claim (estimate)

June 20, 2006

Insurance/renovation:

The university is still negotiating with the insurance company. We hope construction can begin this fall or next spring. Once an agreement is reached, we expect construction to take a year to a year and a half.

March 15, 2006

Insurance/renovation:

The university has received recommendations from InVision Architecture/West Plains Engineering for restoration of Gilchrist Hall. The report has been forwarded to the insurance adjuster, along with a request to begin discussions leading to agreement on the scope of the project. Total estimated cost to restore Gilchrist Hall to its pre-fire condition is as follows:

  $ 7,500,000   Building restoration (code updates included)   

  $ 1,500,000   Equipment replacement    

  $ 1,000,000   Extra expense coverage   

  $    200,000   Furniture replacement in immediate area of fire   

  $    100,000   Miscellaneous/unknown items   

  $    500,000   Fire Clean-up   

  $10,800,000  Total potential claim   

Timeline

We expect asbestos removal to begin about two months after we reach an agreement with the insurance company about the scope of the project. That means asbestos removal could start sometime in May. If that happens, we would expect the project to be completed by summer 2007. However, nothing is definite yet.

Files and cleanup:

Furniture cleaning and relocation are on hold pending decisions on temporary office locations. The relocation of some of the temporary offices is necessary because the space where they are currently located is no longer available for this use.

Files that can be scanned will be scanned, rather than cleaned, moved and stored. Files that will be delivered to the long-term temporary offices are still in Gilchrist, awaiting relocation until the new spaces can be secured.

The vault in Gilchrist has been equipped with a security device to report unauthorized entry. The Office of Business Operations’ temporary safe in the Campbell kitchen is being equipped with a silent alarm to report unauthorized and after hours entry, and insurance has been purchased to protect those assets at their temporary locations.

  
Staff continue to access files and material in Gilchrist Hall as needed on a daily basis.

Staff relocation:

The consolidation of the Office of Business Operations to Campbell Hall is complete.

Facilities Services has been working with the Office of Admissions, Human Resource Services, and the Registrar and Scheduling Office on relocating to more appropriately accommodate their needs.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) hosted a meeting on March 7 and 9 for Gilchrist Hall employees. Topics included identifying and validating loss, stages of grief and making change easier.

Status of the investigation:

UNI Public Safety continues to work with Cedar Falls Police and the Black Hawk County Attorney’s Office. The investigation report is currently in the hands of the county attorney.

January 20, 2006

Insurance/claims adjuster update

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, at its December meeting, approved UNI's request to waive Board of Regents' Policy, Chapter 9, "Capital Procedures" that requires board approval of permission to proceed with the architect/engineer agreement process.  The board also approved the university proceeding with the project once the initial insurance estimates have been received and allowing the Board of Regents executive director and his staff to work with the university in the selection, and to approve an agreement with an architect/engineer.

The insurance company informed us in early December that the encapsulated asbestos in Gilchrist needed to be removed.  Once the renovation project begins, it will take up to a year for office staff to move back to Gilchrist.

The University is working with InVision Architecture, the architect/engineering firm selected to oversee the renovation of Gilchrist Hall, and its subconsultant, West Plains Engineering, to inspect the mechanical and electrical systems, encapsulated asbestos removal, and structural damage.  InVision Architecture and West Plains Engineering staff will assist the university in negotiations on the insurance settlement for mechanical, electrical and architectural items.  UNI Facilities Services, InVision Architecture, West Plains Engineering, and insurance representatives will meet this month to discuss an approach for arriving at the scope of work associated with the restoration project.

While the cost estimates have not been finalized, the fire damage, according to the insurance adjuster, will far exceed the $2 million deductible for UNI's insurance policy with St. Paul Travelers Insurance Company.   

The value of affected equipment, including the Public Safety dispatch system, the main hub for the campus phone system, and hundreds of personal computers, servers, microfiche readers, scanners, fax machines, shredders and other electronic items, is more than $1.5 million. The university and the insurance company are currently evaluating each piece of equipment to determine which items will need to be replaced and which items can be cleaned for reuse, if any.  With the realization that administrative offices will not be moving back to Gilchrist for approximately a year, we are beginning to order a select number of computers, system servers, printers and copiers for the staff who have been using outdated and loaned equipment.

Gilchrist Hall files and cleanup

The majority of office files, books and other property have been ozoned and removed from the building.  Files, furniture and other property from Gilchrist Hall are being warehoused off campus. Furniture in the immediate area of the fire that was destroyed will require replacement at a cost of more than $200,000.

A committee has been formed to work with business-system firms to review and improve on business processes such as copying, printing and filing. 

Crandall Construction/Restoration of Waterloo, the general contractor hired on an emergency basis to provide cleaning, deodorizing and management services for Gilchrist Hall, has cleaned the surface areas, removed the ceiling tile, and cleaned the chairs in the building. 

Staff relocations to other office sites

Because of the urgency to find temporary housing immediately after the October fire, some offices moved to space that must now be used for other purposes.  The following offices are being moved to locations better suited to accommodate the campus community and visitors. 

- The Office of Business Operations is being consolidated from three locations and moved to Campbell Hall.

- Human Resource Services staff, currently located in three buildings, will be moved to the Commons.

- The Registrar and Scheduling Offices, currently located in several locations in Maucker Union will remain in Maucker Union but will have modifications made to improve student access.

- The Office of Admissions will move to the Towers to provide better access to prospective students and their parents.

Status of the investigation

University police, with the assistance of the city of Cedar Falls police, continue to pursue all leads.  The county attorney and his staff are regularly briefed on the status of the investigation.   

December 6, 2005

Today the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, gave the University of Northern Iowa permission to proceed with project planning for the correction of fire-related damage that occurred in Gilchrist Hall on Oct. 16.

Adjusters from Travelers' Insurance notified UNI late last week that the damage to Gilchrist Hall will exceed the $2 million deductible on the university's insurance policy for academic facilities. The adjusters also indicated they probably will recommend asbestos be removed from the building as part of the rebuilding process. The project is expected to take approximately one year from the time work begins.

"Today's approval allows us to expedite the architect selection process, which often takes several months," explained Tom Schellhardt, vice president for administration and finance. "This will allow us to more quickly develop a plan for removing the asbestos, reinstalling mechanical and electrical systems, and rebuilding. We want to have a draft plan in hand when we get the total damage estimates from the insurance company."

"Now that the we have a better idea of how long this process will take, some of the offices that were moved because of the fire will need to move to more long-term temporary sites to better meet the needs of their constituents," said Morris Mikkelsen, associate vice president for facilities planning. "A draft relocation plan was presented to department directors. We're getting feedback now."

Gilchrist Hall is one of three university buildings to which UNI Police and Cedar Falls Fire Department crews responded between midnight and 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16. Other calls were to Baker Hall and Lang Hall, where smoke damage was less extensive. These incidents remain under investigation. Both Lang Hall and Baker Hall are open for business and classes.

Gilchrist Hall update -- Dec. 5, 2005

Damage estimate

The insurance adjuster has notified UNI that the damage to Gilchrist Hall will exceed $2 million, which is the amount of the deductible on the university’s insurance policy for academic facilities.

Board of Regents, State of Iowa, policy requires that the board give permission to proceed with project planning, including the architectural selection process, for projects estimated to exceed $2 million.

Their December board meeting will be tomorrow at UNI. UNI will request approval to proceed with project planning for correction of the fire-related damage to Gilchrist Hall. UNI also will request that further approvals that may be needed prior to the February 2006 Board meeting, including the selection of the architectural/engineering firm for the project, be delegated to the board office. A report would be provided to the board at its February 2006 meeting.

Timeline

The initial indication from the adjusters is that they will recommend that asbestos be removed from the building as part of the rebuilding process. If that is the case, and the Board of Regents gives permission to proceed with the project, it's expected that the project will take approximately one year from the time work begins.

Office relocations

If the project proceeds as suggested, some of the offices that were moved because of the fire will need to move to more long-term temporary sites to better meet the needs of their constituents. A draft relocation plan was presented to department directors on Dec. 1. They are providing feedback to Facilities Planning. The draft list of changes can be seen at http://www.uni.edu/pubrel/giloffice.shtml.

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005

Thanks to everyone who has finished sorting files so the cleaning process can continue in Gilchrist Hall. The next milestone is to clean out the items stored in the Gilchrist basement. Some departments are already done. The task is simply to identify and sort material into one of four categories:

1. items that can be destroyed;
2. items that must be shredded;
3. items that must be kept in storage;
4. items that need to be delivered to your temporary office, or an alternate location.

All items that will be retained will be ozoned, and if necessary, cleaned. Procedures are in place to ensure that confidential material is handled properly throughout the process. The goal is to complete the sorting process by Dec. 16. Please refer any questions to Steve Pavelec, 3-6165.

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005

If you have unanswered questions, please send an e-mail to: james.oconnor@uni.edu, or call (319) 273-6728. You can remain anonymous if you wish. |
  

Photos of Gilchrist Hall damage can be seen at http://www.uni.edu/pubrel/gilchristphotos.shtml
  

Extent of the fire damage

The independent adjuster hired by St. Paul Travelers Insurance brought in consultants to put together detailed damage estimates. This involves evaluating all the mechanical systems in the building and is time consuming. We hope to have estimates before semester break.

Progress Report

All Gilchrist departments have been asked to select a representative to work with Steve Pavelec from Facilities Services to organize the wholesale cleaning, storage and/or destruction of files. Files will be removed from the building in preparation for large-scale cleaning.

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005

Status report on the investigation

We don't have any new information. UNI Police, in cooperation with Cedar Falls Police, State Fire Marshal’s office, and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation are investigating the fires. Two full-time investigators have been assigned to pursue leads in the case.

Plans for resuming operations in Gilchrist Hall

The extent of the fire-related damage has lengthened the time before normal operations can resume in Gilchrist. Until the insurance adjuster and consultants can determine the damage, staff will remain in temporary quarters. At best, with the need to replace equipment, paint walls, purchase and replace ceiling tile and carpeting, and complete cleaning of the building, it will be at least the start of the spring 2006 semester before most staff can begin moving back to Gilchrist Hall.

Extent of the fire damage

The State Fire Marshal, State Auditor, and the insurance adjusters and investigators for our insurance carrier, St. Paul Travelers Insurance Co., have completed their initial walk through of the buildings. The independent adjuster hired by St. Paul Travelers Insurance has brought in consultants to put together detailed estimates of damage within the next two to three weeks. 

Crandall Construction/Restoration, of Waterloo, Iowa has been hired as a general contractor on an emergency basis to provide cleaning, deodorizing and management services for Gilchrist Hall. To prevent mold and minimize the odor, Crandall has cleaned the surface areas on the top floor, portions of the ground floor, removed most of the ceiling tile, and cleaned most of the chairs in the building. A sub-contractor is assessing all the electronic equipment, including our telephone system and Public Safety dispatch radio communication system, and identifying which pieces can be cleaned and which ones should be discarded. No equipment cleaning will take place until we have had a chance to review lists and compare cleaning costs to purchasing new equipment. 

More than 200 full-time UNI employees, and part-time student employees, in 14 administrative offices were relocated to donated and available space across campus. Temporary offices are located in more than a dozen locations including Maucker Union and the Center for Multicultural Education, Rod Library, Department of Residence, Commons, Lang Hall, and even a physics classroom. A UNI alumnus donated 50 used computers for displaced staff.

All electronic equipment in Gilchrist Hall is being inspected and evaluated for smoke-related damage.  More than 750 pieces of equipment, including computers, monitors, printers, copiers, telephones, dispatch equipment and other electronic equipment were used in the building.  Temporary computing, copying, printing, and other electronic equipment were located and delivered to the offices.  

Asbestos testing was completed Oct. 18 and the test results were negative. The air and ceiling tiles were found to be free from asbestos.  Air-quality samples in various parts of Gilchrist were taken on Oct. 21. The test results were negative. 

Status of the insurance-company assessment

In accordance with Board of Regents, State of Iowa policy, the university has catastrophic property insurance with a single-incident deductible of $2 million for general-fund buildings. How that deductible will be paid is yet to be worked out.

The insurance adjuster for St. Paul Travelers is reluctant to estimate a damage amount until all the reports from the investigators are completed. His review and damage assessment may take another month to complete.

Friday, Oct. 21, 2005
From: Morris Mikkelsen, associate vice president for facilities management

The state fire marshal and the insurance adjusters for UNI's insurance carrier, Travelers Insurance Company, have completed their initial walk through of Gilchrist, Lang and Baker Halls. It appears the smoke and fire damage is more significant than the university originally anticipated, particularly in Gilchrist Hall. This will probably mean that the date for returning to Gilchrist Hall will have to be moved back from the initial target of Nov. 1. The insurance adjusters are continuing their evaluations. Decisions will be made as additional information becomes available

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005

From: Renee Romano, VP for educational and student services
           Tom Schellhardt, VP for administration and finance
  

Gilchrist Hall is closed until cleaning can be completed. The target date for most employees to return to their offices in Gilchrist is Nov. 1. Soot from the fire traveled to every room in the building. As a result, all ductwork and surfaces have to be cleaned and all ceiling tile have to be replaced. All equipment, including computers, has to be evaluated.

Asbestos testing was completed Oct. 18. The tests came back negative. The air and ceiling tiles are free from asbestos. Some asbestos fell from the ceiling in the office where the fire took place, but tests showed that the asbestos remained encapsulated and did not become airborne.

We want to applaud everyone who has been involved in moving out of Gilchrist. More than 160 people have had to move. This has been a tremendous undertaking. Your dedication, professionalism and can-do attitude are much appreciated. Special thanks to everyone who has offered the use of space and equipment.