Our construction project has begun to resemble The Blair Witch Project, the horror movie where you never actually see the monster. After weeks of preparing you for the intense noise of the early days of demolition and all of the law school’s efforts at ameliorating the problem, the first week of exams is passing with no monster in sight. Word is that the construction people are having trouble with the bond that they must post. Each day we think that the work might start the next day. Still, we hear no monster. But this is a big budget movie, so come it will. Honest. And when it does begin, there will be big noise and much scrambling. It is crucial that the noisy work begin so that it is done when classes start in January.  So we rooting for it to begin.

Enjoy the sweet quiet before someone opens the basement door and the monster emerges.

The Dean’s e-mail of November 25 did a fine job of setting out what is about to happen here at Boalt. I hope that you followed his link and checked out the video of the giant air hammer. Quite a sight.  We are doing everything we can to provide work-arounds in light of the oncoming onslaught of noise, but I am certain that the unexpected is waiting to happen. We will try to stay on our toes. Check the Library web site for alternative study areas during the day. Word is that the first few weeks of demolition will be the worst. The plan is to complete that part of the process by the beginning of the new semester. Work must stop at 3:30pm each day, so it will be normal, well, as normal as it ever gets, around here in the evenings.

Take a deep breath, it is that time of the year again when it all comes together.  Good luck.
BB

1.  This morning, Thursday, Nov. 20, they tried an experiment to see how bad the noise in the library would be when they drilled out the concrete benches, steps etc. in the Courtyard.  This process, which occupies the first few weeks of the project,  is the worst part of the construction for  producing raw noise.  Well, it was pretty, as in really,  loud.  The Main Reading Room of the Law Library and the Computer Lab area were both seriously compromised.  The drilling is scheduled to begin December 8.  Exams will not start until the workmen are done for the day, so that should not be a problem, but it will be virtually impossible to study in the Main Reading Room or to use the Computer Lab during the work day.  The Library folks are identifying other places that you can study during the day.  Here is the link to alternative study sites.

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/library/dynamic/guide.php?id=25

The link appears on the Law Library webpage under the Exam Resources tab.

We will keep you posted as we identify new possibilities.

2.  New bike racks are being put in along the south wall of Wuster Hall, the builiding adjacent to Boalt.  There are racks there now, but the capacity is going to be greatly  increased.  Once that is done, which is scheduled to be next Wednesday, Nov. 26, they will close the current bike parking area at the west end of Boalt.  Immediately thereafter they will start construction work in that area.  This means that you have to get you bicycle out of there before the end of next Wednesday.   Seriously.  The good news is that there will be a net gain in bike parking with the Wurster Addition.

3.  The promised student mail slots are almost here and only await aseembly and labeling.  The mystery of why these took so long to arrive may never be unraveled, but the story will have a happy ending.  Soon.  Honest.

4.  On a final note, the summer 2008 Bar Exam results are scheduled to be released to the exam takers on Friday, Nov. 21, with the general public getting access to the list on Sunday.  Let us all send a good wish to those members of the Class of 2008 who are nervously awaiting what we hope will be good news.

BB

Mid-November is always tough, and this year Thanksgiving falls on the last possible date. The semester slides right into the holiday. Everyone looks a little punchy these days and we all have good reason.

The building projects roll on. The double paned windows are now installed in the Main Reading Room of the Law Library. These will protect us from noise in the spring semester, or so they promise us. The washing of the outside of the bulidng has gone off without major problems.. On the other hand, someone ruptured a steam pipe which has meant no heat in some parts of the building. It has been a bear to repair, but they promise that it will be fixed by Friday. They also tell me that the weather should warm up a bit tomorrow and that will help. It is no fun to try to teach Contracts to students who are wearing coats and shivering, I shudder to think what it must be like to try to learn Contracts, or anything else, under those conditions.

Major demolition work begins in early December. The concrete benches, the outside pillars and the courtyard and steps all have to go. Concerned that it might play out like this,we scheduled all finals to start at 4pm to avoid the noise. (Work stops at 3:30pm) Because of laws about noise, the crews cannot work at night or on the week ends, but if this works out, the worst will be over when the next semester starts. The Law Library folks are going to work to find quiet places to study once the noise starts. More on that to follow.

The mail slots are almost here. Almost.

Take a deep breath, the semester is picing up momentum.

BB

Halloween has come and gone, we all gained an hour of sleep when we set back the clocks over the week end and the election finally comes to an end tomorrow. A lot’s going on.

The new floor is installed in the West Basement. Given my total lack of aesthetic sense, I will trust the judgment of others, who tell me that it is very fine. The student areas on that level that are still being renovated received the same floor. Its completion is a good sign. Sorry about the mixed messages at the end of last week about the installation of the new floor, we wanted to be sure that no one was cut off from their books. I figure it is better to act fast to warn folks, then try and fix the problem. At least there is a happy ending this time.

After a week’s delay, workmen are now chaning the windows in the Main Reading Room of the law library. Double paned glass, designed to deaden the construction sound, is being installed. The workmen come between midnight and 8am to minimize the disruption in the room.

We hope for good news on bicycle parking soon. Concerns about bicycle theft have been raised. We are in touch with UC Police who tell us that indeed there currently is a rash of bicycle thefts on campus. They have just made some arrests, but they know better than to think that they have solved the problem. We will try to work with them to provide better security.

BB

I just learned that the locker room area, i.e. the hallway in the West Basement, is going to be inaccessible this weekend. This means that if you need anything from your lockers, you should get it out before lunch tomorrow, Friday, October 31. I am not sure why this is happening on such short notice. But before I even try to go check on the details I wanted to let you know. Sorry for the last minute notice.

BB

The lockers are in and distributed, the book check system is over and fence is up.  Things roll along.  Next week workmen will begin installing double paned windows in the Main Reading Room.   The new windows are supposed to dampen the coming construction noise.  The work is all scheduled to be done between midnight and 8am, so the Reading Room will remain usable during the hours that the Library is open.  The work should be done in two weeks.  In early November they are going to clean the outside of the building that faces the Courtyard.  There is 50 years of accumulted crud on there, and it will be the last chance to get if off.  I know it sounds crazy to clean it BEFORE construction, but once the new building is in, there will not be room for major work to be done.  So they do it now.   Word is that the noise will not be too bad during the cleaning.  Major demolition should not begin until classes are over.  I will keep you posted.

We continue to work on bicycle parking.  No promises but there may be a bit of good news coming.  There have been several inquiries about how one gets access to the locked bicycle cage that is in the garage.  Set out below is the method that you can follow to register your bicycle and to get the access code.  It is not a very large space, but it is something.  Here is the drill:

BIKE PARKING: SECURE PARKING

Introduction

UC affiliates may apply to join the Secure Bicycle Parking program through the Parking & Transportation department: http://pt.berkeley.edu/park/bike/secure

It is a three step process:

• License your bike if you have not already done so.
• Complete the Secure Bicycle Parking form.
• Receive personal access code to use secure bicycle parking locations.

Step One: License Your Bike

At UC Berkeley and in the City of Berkeley, bicycles are required to have a California Bicycle License. If the UCPD stops you while riding a bicycle without a valid license, you could be subject to citation. Additionally, licensing your bicycle increases the likelihood of recovery in case of theft. A new license is valid for three years. Renewals, also available, are valid for up to three years.  See:

http://pt.berkeley.edu/around/bike/info#license

and

http://police.berkeley.edu/prevention/bike.html#license

Bike License Procedures

WHERE: Upper Sproul Plaza, near Sather Gate

WHEN: 11:00am to 1:30pm every Wednesday

HOW: Bring your bike and your ID

Step Two: Complete Secure Bicycle Parking Form

Download  and complete the Secure Bicycle Parking Form:

http://pt.berkeley.edu/sites/pt.berkeley.edu/files/content/SecureBicycleAppForm-1.pdf

Return completed form

      Via campus mail to:

      P&T Administrative Offices

      2150 Kittredge St., 4th Floor

      Berkeley, CA

      94720, MC 5746

      By fax to:

      (510) 643-4677

      In person at:

      P&T Customer Services Office

      2150 Kittredge St., 1st Floor Bicycle Parking Guidelines

Step Three: Personal Access Code

Once your application has been approved you will receive your personal access code.

Today the construction crew finished the fence around much of the south side of the building. All of the entrances to the building from the courtyard are now gone. This is the real first step in a long process that will lead us to a very good place. But there are many steps between us and the end of the journey. The construction process will hold many surprises. This blog will keep you posted on what we know and when we know it. Take a deep breath, it begins.

We sent a long e-mail to students yesterday. It was an update on issues related to bicycle parking (high hopes), motorcycle parking (some actual help–see the link at the end of this posting), lockers (distributed) and the soon to expire ‘book check’ system in the Law Library. In the rush to get information to you, conflicting dates for the wrap-up of the ‘book check’ system were given. This Friday, October 17, is the right day. By then you should have cleared your materials out of the bins.

Here is the link for a map of motorcycle parking near the law school

http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117003979167554402264.00045524bb706f333b524&ll=37.870034,-122.253869&spn=0.005276,0.004431

Enjoy the warm weather.

I sent out an e-mail to all Berkeley Law School students today about the coming changes around the building. Set out at the end of this posting is a more detailed explanation of what is going on,  that has been prepared by those who know. It discusses the likely timetable for construction as well as some extra details. It does not include the issue of the lockers. More lockers are on the way, but for now there are 500 of them, mostly installed in the West Basement. BHSA is handing the distribution of these shiny, new lockers. If you wanted one, or part of one, I hope that you responded to their call. It is important to note that the “Book Check” service at the Patron Services Desk of the Law Library will end next Friday. With lockers distributed there is no need for it. The law lbirary folks were real bricks about taking on the coordination of this service but it is time to wind it out. Please remove your things from the bins by next Friday. Seriously. The bins will go away on a cross-country voyage of self-discovery. Make sure that your stuff does not go with them. We are going to put in mail slots for everyone. We discovered that many folks used the locker as a mail drop. That need we can meet fairly soon. Details to follow.

My e-mail almost immediately elicited questions from bicylcle riders about where they could park their bikes. The short term answer is that the bicycle parking area at the west end of the building, the large one, will stay in place for now. We think, but to be honest, we are not sure, that the small rack at the top of the stairs leading away from the Booth entrance on to Bancroft might stay. The small rack right by the Booth door is gone. The long-term answer is that by University rule, if construction takes away bicycle parking spots, it must replace them on a one for one basis. The word is that they will install more racks along the south wall of Wurster Hall. Wurster is the really ugly Design Building that is just adjacent to Boalt. I will keep you posted as things develop. Motorcycle parking will also be a problem. They are working on a solution to that right now, as soon as I know what anything for certain, I will pass it along.

Now for some detail about the building

Monday, October 13: contractors will begin installing the construction fence. The work on the first day will entail drilling fence posts into the pavement, so there will be noise but all doors will remain open.

Tuesday, October 14: contractors will install the mesh fencing, but will leave a gate open to allow access to courtyard and into the building.

Wednesday, October 15 at 4 AM: contractors will lock off the fence and wall off all the courtyard doors. This means that you will no longer be able to enter/exit through the doors near Booth, the doors near 120, or the doors across from 100 and 105.

As of Wednesday morning, the primary entrances and exits will be:

• The North West door into the West Basement (near rooms 12 & 14 and the lockers) (wheelchair accessible)
• The South door of Simon off of Bancroft (next to Goldberg Room) (wheelchair accessible)
• The South facing door next to classroom 100 (not wheelchair accessible)
• The North facing door next to classroom 110 (not wheelchair accessible).

The South door of Simon off Bancroft will become the night and weekend entrance of the building and will be open whenever the Law Library is open.

There are also two wheelchair accessible doors from the parking lot, one on the north side at the end of the walkway between the North Addition and the Archeology Building; the other on the East side of the building between the North Addition and the back of the 2240 Piedmont (CSLS/JSP) building.

The University will be installing signs that direct you to the various entrances. Because we are all used to having a lot of ways in and out of this building, this new entrance and exit pattern is going to take some getting used to. Be sure to allow yourself some extra time next week when arriving to class.

OTHER RELEVANT DETAILS

Once the construction fence is up the contractors will begin preparation for digging. Within the next two weeks they will finish installing AC in 121-124 and will wall off those windows. At the end of October or early November they will install double paned glass in the Main Reading Room windows. We expect cleaning of the building to begin on 11/3 and actual excavation to begin shortly thereafter.

The current parking spaces (including motorcycle parking) along Bancroft will no longer be available, and the sidewalk on the North side will also be inaccessible. We are working on finding alternative space for motorcycles.

Flyback Week is history. Now we all settle in for the October slog. Welcome back.

Everyone should have received an invitation to the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new building project. It will be on Wednesday from noon-2pm in the soon-to-be-former courtyard. (This is a change from the earlier plans for a party on October 9). There will be food, drink, a t-shirt and suitably silly photo-ops of the Dean wearing a hard hat. Word is that around 1pm there will be a group photo of everyone in attendance. This will be one of those “it goes into the archives” photographs. Be a part of history and join us to smile for the community picture. Then twenty years from now you can come back and see how good you looked.

The first set of lockers are now installed in the corridor in the west basement. Students have been hearing from BHSA about how these lockers will be assigned. As folks move into the lockers, the book check system in the law library will be brought to an end. You will hear more about these two processes in the coming days. I think of this situation like one of those lanes where two freeways briefly merge, and some of the folks on the left are going to the right and some of the folks on the right are shifting to the left. It will all work out, but you have to pay attention and be cool. We want to minimize fender benders. As I learn more, I will keep you posted.