Asbestos has been found in the process of remodeling and expanding the 40-year-old Tercero Dining Commons, and student housing officials say that will delay the commons' reopening until at least mid-November.
UC Davis Student Housing and Residential Dining director Bob Smiggen emphasized that the finding of asbestos at the Tercero dining facility has no connection to the Tercero area residence halls, which were expanded this summer to house about 1,370 first-year students.
The asbestos discovery sent Student Housing and Sodexho staff members scrambling to make alternate dining arrangements for Tercero residents.
Those staffs were already working full speed at preparing for their busiest time of year, the start of fall quarter. Students move in this weekend.
The discovery of asbestos fibers, which can cause lung disease, meant the $19 million dining commons construction project had to be stopped until asbestos experts identified the extent of the problem and drafted a remediation plan.
The extent of the asbestos contamination has been determined, and abatement experts are either sealing the asbestos in place or removing it.
At Dateline's press deadline on Wednesday, managers were saying they were hopeful that construction subcontractors might return to work this week and that two key features of the construction project might open soon. They said the remodeled bakery was ready to open last night, and the snack shop might open tomorrow.
George Hartshorne, the campus's asbestos expert in the Facilities Operations and Maintenance Department, said project managers were not surprised to find asbestos in the original Tercero dining facility, since it was used extensively in construction during the 1960s as pipe insulation, in floor and ceiling tiles, and even as a lubricant in cement-pumping machinery. However, they were dismayed to find asbestos in so many parts of the old building.
Last week, Smiggen sent a letter to the affected students and their parents by e-mail and U.S. mail, explaining the delay and describing the alternate arrangements that have been made. He offered to move students who wanted to relocate to another residence hall, or to cancel their housing contracts.
The alternate dining arrangements offered to the Tercero residents include: eating at the brand-new Segundo Dining Commons; getting meals to go at the Tercero residence halls or the snack shop; taking a bus to the dining hall at Cuarto residence area; and eating at the Silo. Also, Smiggen said, several barbecue buffets will be set up at the Tercero residence halls.
When completed, the Tercero Dining Commons will accommodate 875 diners.