Greetings everyone and welcome back to the start of our last full semester without the Student Union!

Over the holidays, our construction has continued to move along well, with yesterday marking one year of construction - that means just 8 months to go! The schedule is just a few days off its original completion date, but there is still optimism among those who are experts in this field that we will make up those days and finish on time…but a great deal depends on the weather this winter!

The good news is that the renovated space is about 90% dry at this point, meaning there are only a couple of places where water can get in, and since those can be secured if necessary in rainy weather, the dry wall is going up fast! The new sky light was installed yesterday and the new floor is scheduled to be poured on the lower level in the next two weeks. The redesigned spaces are so dramatically different from the previous spaces that it is hard to recognize it as the same building! The stucco treatment on the exterior will also begin in the next couple of weeks, as well as railings on the new patios and walkways in that area. With any luck we will be able to move into that space around the end of Spring semester!

The expansion space is also coming along well, with most of the fireproofing complete on the steel structure, most of the roof decks in place, and the mechanical systems quickly being installed. The tracks for the wall studs are being placed on the first floor and beginning to be placed on the second floor. At the same time, the framing of the exterior walls has started, and in the next couple of weeks, we will see significant progress on the exterior. Hopefully all of this will wrap up about the time we are able to install the roof on that part of the building so that the drywall installation can begin as soon as all of the plumbing and electrical work is complete. If all continues to proceed according to the best laid plans, we should be able to start bringing the food vendors in to build out their spaces in September sometime. The expansion space should then open in early October. The view from the ballroom level and pre-function area of downtown Los Angeles (on a clear day especially) is fantastic!