New tech, building renovations underway at…
New tech, building renovations underway at Chico State
Michael Guzzi, associate vice president for the Department Facilities Management and Services at Chico State University, discusses renovation work Thursday in O'Connell Hall in Chico. (Matt Bates -- Enterpise-Record)
A welder works on the third floor of the new physical science building Thursday at Chico State University in Chico. (Matt Bates -- Enterprise-Record)
A construction crew puts new tiles on the roof of Kendall Hall on Thursday in Chico. (Matt Bates -- Enterprise-Record)
Dan Currie bends a pipe Thursday as O'Connell Hall at Chico State in Chico undergoes renovations. (Matt Bates -- Enterpise-Record)
A construction crew works on a lot off of Orange Street on Thursday in Chico. (Matt Bates -- Enterprise-Record)
Summer renovation projects continue Thursday at Chico State in Chico. (Matt Bates -- Enterprise-Record)
By Natalie Hanson | nhanson@chicoer.com | Chico Enterprise-Record
CHICO — Summer in Chico usually means that classes are over, downtown is quiet and One-Mile Recreation Area is packed. It also means that Chico State University can get some housekeeping projects done while the campus is (mostly) empty.
This year in particular is a busy one, after the Camp Fire and several unexpected weather events. Chico State faced major flooding in April and had to immediately repair several buildings, necessitating postponing work on others.
Now that summer is here and students are mostly out of town, more work can be done to further repair those buildings before school is back in session, according to Mike Guzzi of Facilities and Management Services.
Addressing flood damage, campus safety
Of the new renovations, some resulted from unexpected extreme weather. On April 2, major flooding around the campus severely damaged the ground floor of the campus gym, the WREC.
"So when this entire area got flooded with the rain downpour, all of those drains got clogged with not only the hail, but all the debris … once (Big Chico Creek) got to a certain point, it could not take on any more water, so all that water got backed up on the street," Guzzi said.
The bottom floor of the gym was cracked in many places due to the excessive water and had to be entirely replaced. The basketball court's floor replacement is totaled at $600,000.
The flooding also reached the basement of Whitney Hall, the on-campus dorm building. While a permanent solution is being designed, the temporary power system for the building, mounted on skids, costs Chico State $40,000 a month to operate. Guzzi said there may not be a permanent change to the building's power until February.
Another fix that Guzzi's department is working on is the rerouting and improvement of power in the campus. Power will routed into a "loop" under the campus for more efficiency. PG&E power enters the campus through the boiler and chiller plant, he said, and then it branches out in three directions: north to the stadium, north of the creek, and comes back south.
"What we're trying to do is build more resiliency into the system and make it more into a loop," he said.
The project is made possible by funding that the university was given for renovating the walkway under Meriam Library in 2017, he said. By saving money on that project, Chico State is able to complete the upgrade for the power routing along with a new blockhouse for feeds from PG&E.
Guzzi also plans to get some telephone wires, which hang over the intersection at West Second and Ivy streets between campus buildings and nearby houses, moved underground to "clean up" the street.
New tech for fall
Some new additions are designed to give students better technology for their classwork.
Langdon and O'Connell halls, where engineering and construction majors as well as some game design students take classes, are seeing the addition of new labs with state-of-the-art designs. One lab on the third floor of O'Connell Hall will feature walls of large monitors with pods for student work, rather than traditional rows of seating.
Chico State replacing roof tiles on Kendall Hall over summer
Chico State's engineering program, Guzzi said, was ranked third in the nation for best value among engineering programs in the nation, but students have been using labs and equipment that is outdated, often from as early as 1972. He is excited to see students get upgraded new rooms by the next semester.
Historical refurbishment
Kendall Hall, where administrative services are housed, has kept its distinctive roof tiles from 1929 intact with little repair since 1994. This summer, the tiles are being replaced with new ones with the same look and design, with a new waterproof layer underneath to protect against water damage.
The new layer, Guzzi explained, is to help avoid the problem the hall is notorious for during rainy season: leaking of the roof that requires buckets to be used and consistently changed out, the building's "seasonal water feature" as dubbed by school President Gayle Hutchinson.
The new layer will help repair the issue as well as reinforce the integrity of the roof. The project, using a crew of nine, has been underway for several weeks and has not disrupted work in Kendall Hall, according to Sean Murphy of university communications.
The campus is also currently busy with the construction of the new physical sciences building next to Warner Street, which is still set for completion in one year for the fall of 2020.
Close by, a new bike path will also be added to run perpendicular to the walkway between Butte Hall (scheduled for a total refurbishment in 2021 costing around $80 million, Guzzi said) and Plumas Hall, to encourage students to ride bicycles in designated areas on campus.
Most projects have to be completed before the end of summer in order to be ready for students when they return in fall, Guzzi said. But it's the perfect time to do so as long as the sunny, cooler weather continues. In the meantime solutions to other issues, like permanent power to Whitney Hall, remain a primary concern for the campus and will take more time to resolve.
Chico State's summer renovations already underway
Chico State
Natalie Hanson
Natalie Hanson covers the city of Chico, seniors and general assignments for the Chico Enterprise-Record after previously editing and writing for A&E. She has written and edited for multiple publications including The Orion at Chico State and is studying journalism and international relations. She is passionate about student journalism, covering the community and quality coffee.
Follow Natalie Hanson	@NatalieH_Orion