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.