Committee tries to improve life in Dykstra

Published: Tuesday, December 1, 1998

Tuesday, December 1, 1998

CONSTRUCTION: Student input, free treats help residents deal with hassle of De Neve project

By George Fujii

Daily Bruin Contributor

To most Dykstra Hall residents, "Mitigate '98/Feeling Fine '99," is just the slogan on their monthly treats.

But it's more than a slogan - it is the name of the committee which hopes to ease the effects of construction on Dykstra residents.

The De Neve Plaza housing project is currently being built next to Dykstra. To make room for the project, the Dykstra extension, including a dining hall, was demolished last year.

Once the De Neve project is completed, the new dining hall and commons will connect to the second floor of Dykstra, where the old extension joined the main building.

The construction brings loud noises which often disrupt students who are trying to study. To compensate for construction noise, Dykstra residents receive free food and other items.

"(We received) a microfridge, fan, candy apples, a six-pack of Pepsi, Aquafina and a brownie," said Dykstra resident Garrett Lim, who lives on the second floor.

Lim said that construction can be really loud but that the "study lounge is pretty soundproof."

Because of the construction, Dykstra residents have been inconvenienced in several ways. They no longer have a dining hall or mailboxes, and the nearest computer lab is in the Tom Bradley International Hall.

Lim added that he doesn't like having to travel to Rieber Hall, Covel Commons or Hedrick Hall to eat. The nearby International Cafe in the Bradley Center serves only a limited number of items.

Residents on Dykstra's higher floors haven't been as affected by the noise caused by the project as students living closer to the ground.

"The construction does not bother me," said Anne-Marie Costa, who lives on the tenth floor.

The committee - which includes Dykstra's resident director, the south area director and representatives from Housing Administration, the Office of Residential Life and Dining Services - hopes to alleviate some of these inconveniences.

"'The Mitigate '98/Feeling Fine '99' committee is (made up of) a variety of people from different areas in order to pool resources," said Dykstra resident director Laura Riley.

The committee also includes a special project manager to coordinate with other UCLA departments, for example, to add loading spaces to Dykstra.

The goal is "to help maintain a quality of life," Riley said.

The committee tries to balance the needs of the construction workers and the effects on Dykstra residents. The dorms in De Neve Plaza are scheduled for completion by Sept. 15, 1999, according to Ed Lloyd, the university's representative for the project.

To meet the schedule, construction hours may be extended to avoid winter rains, Riley said.

The "Mitigate '98/Feeling Fine '99" committee was formed in April of 1998. Before the committee was formed, a "construction mitigator" dealt with construction issues.

Student input is obtained from weekly food and environment committee meetings. Floor representatives can express construction concerns to Lloyd or Riley, who attend the meetings.

The committee also receives complaints sent to any housing department and the hall's front desk.

The committee is also working on ways to reduce noise caused by the construction.

"We brought different companies to propose acoustic barriers," said Alfred Nam, associate director of room operations for Housing Administration.

The committee studied and rejected various proposals for such a barrier, including an $80,000, three-story acoustic barrier, which blocked too much light.

They also considered the use of acoustic blankets on each window, which were ineffective, Nam said.

A $300,000 replacement of all the construction-side windows with double-pane glass is still being studied by the committee. On the first three floors, the window frames would also be replaced, according to Nam.

Once De Neve becomes operational, the Courtside building in Sunset Village will be closed for roof repairs, Nam said.

Courtside residents have complained of leaking roofs and the university recently settled a lawsuit against some of the building's contractors for $14 million.

Dykstra residents can send concerns and complaints to the construction hotline at 794-9274.

Photos by PATIL ARMENIAN

Construction on De Neve Plaza begins at 6 a.m. every morning, even though residents have asked that it start at 8 a.m.

Mikey Victoria tries to concentrate in a Dykstra study lounge.

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