Davies Hall Closure Employee FAQ

• June 20, 2022 - DSA sends a letter letting us know they are exploring potential issues with lift slab construction, and that Davies Hall is suspected to be at risk. DSA recommends Los Rios to secure an independent structural engineer to assess the safety and viability of the facility. 
• June 30, 2022 - Independent structural engineer begins assessment of Davies Hall.
• July 29, 2022 - Independent engineering firm confirms that Davies Hall was built using lift slab construction, and continues their assessment of the structural integrity of the building. 
• June 14, 2023 - DSA sends letter confirming that Davies Hall was the only building at ARC or in Los Rios designed with lift slab construction. DSA again does NOT direct Los Rios or ARC to evacuate Davies Hall.
• August 15, 2023 - Los Rios receives letter from independent structure engineer confirming that the building could be at risk and recommends steps to retrofit building.
• August 16, 2023 - September 4, 2023 - Los Rios seeks clarifying information regarding next steps from DSA and independent structural engineering firm including options for remediation.
• September 5, 2023 -  Los Rios meets with the statewide head of DSA, where Los Rios asks if closing the building is necessary or appropriate. DSA concurs that closing the building would be a prudent course of action.
• September 6, 2023 - Los Rios and ARC Leadership meet with college and district stakeholders, including union and senate leaders, to share this news and next steps.
• September 7, 2023 - College-wide announcement to employees and students was made about the closure of Davies Hall, effective September 8, 2023.

The California Division of State the Architect (DSA) provides design and construction oversight for public K-12 schools, community colleges, and various other state-owned and leased facilities. They identified this issue with a number of facilities around the state that were built with lift slab construction, a common (and DSA approved) construction design in the 1960’s and 1970’s. DSA alerted Los Rios and ARC to the potential concern.

A form of construction popular in the 1960s and 1970s, where floor and roof slabs are cast on grade and then lifted into place and connected to either concrete or structural steel columns with welded steel place inserts on or in the columns and steel collars cast into the concrete slabs. This design was approved by DSA for Davies Hall prior to construction and construction was completed with DSA’s review during the early 1960s.

DSA enforces and monitors compliance of all state building codes applicable to public schools and community colleges in California for structural safety, fire safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency. They review and approve construction specifications and plans and ensure construction is completed. In accordance with all applicable building codes.

DSA was doing a review of the lift slab construction design and discovered that during demolition on other California college campuses, there were at least two occasions where the lift slab system experienced failure and progressive collapse of the building. DSA began to investigate the previously approved design standard and is now recommending retrofitting buildings throughout the state using lift slab construction.

No, there have been no school or college buildings that have failed over the past 60 years since this design was developed. Nevertheless, the concerns and risks DSA has outlined are very serious, and we cannot in good conscience continue to allow employees and students to occupy this building given the safety risks in the unlikely event of an issue.

There are thousands of school and college buildings throughout the state with some level of seismic safety concern. Based on conversations with DSA, there are 90 buildings throughout the state with lift-slab construction that are similar to Davies Hall. At this time, we have not been given information from the DSA regarding how many buildings utilizing lift slab construction were provided with a similar notification.

No. Based on DSA’s state-wide analysis, there are no other buildings at ARC or the District that have the lift slab system.

The most immediate next step has been to identify available classroom space, and with the amazing support of our entire ARC campus community, we have been able to assign 99% of Davies Hall classes to a new space. Note that some of these spaces will not look exactly the same as your Davies Hall classroom, but we are working to ensure they have what you need to continue your in-person class(es). If you have questions about your classroom space, please contact your Dean.

All classrooms will be opened at 7 AM and closed after the last class until keys can be made and issued.

Classroom supplies are being gathered and will be moved to the new classrooms by Operations. If you need personal office supplies, please communicate your needs to your Dean.

Department Deans and Instructional Design Specialists will be available to provide support.

We will be negotiating the impacts of this change with LRCFT and will notify affected faculty when those discussions conclude.

Students have received a college-wide communication about the situation and the temporary transition of classes to fully online. Individual instructors should reach out directly to their students about specific impacts on classes and/or office hours.

Campus Operations will support faculty moving necessary instructional materials and personal belongings from the building.

If you don't want to return to your office to pack your personal items or furniture, the college will assess your space and get back to you to discuss what should/shouldn't be packed and moved. We may take photos during the assessment to be used in the discussion.

If you would like to pack your own items, please note that each person is allowed one hour in their space for packing. If you aren't able to complete the packing process in the time allocated the college can help you identify critical items that need to be removed during your appointment window and all other items can be packed and shipped/delivered to your home.

Each faculty or staff member will have a 1-hour appointment. Appointments will only be offered Monday to Friday as essential staff are only allowed to enter and accompany faculty into Davies during the week.

Essential staff will accompany each faculty or staff to their office to help them identify and tag items to be packed for removal during their appointment time or to be removed and/or shipped by the movers. 

All personal items including furniture must be taken home. While essential personnel currently have access to Davies, this is on a limited time basis. Utility infrastructure will eventually be turned off including HVAC and electrical. Without power we will not have a working elevator in the building to move large items.

If you don't want some of the items in your office, we can dispose of them for you.

Unfortunately, the college does not have adequate storage space to store small personal items or personal furniture. We will store institutional items including essential course components used for curriculum, by Dean approval and institutional furniture.

Options:

• The college will help you pack your smaller items and carry them to a vehicle for pick up.
• The college may have your smaller items packed, delivered and/or shipped to your home.
• The college may have your furniture disassembled, packed, and delivered inside your home. However, the college will not be responsible for re-assembling furniture. 
• Note that the college will begin the shipping process in mid-October, with the date subject to change based on vendor availability.

The college will not remove existing institutional furniture.

The college will begin the shipping process in mid-October, with the date subject to change based on vendor availability. We don't know at this time what vendor will be used as we must follow the state procurement process seeking at least three vendor quotes and if the quotes exceed the state allowable amount for quotes, we will have to move forward with a bid process.

You only need to take your laptop since it is your mobile workstation. You do not need to take docking stations or monitors. Please leave your desk phone and IT will remove and re-install phones as necessary. 

Please return your Davies Hall keys to Operations.

Davies Hall will be locked, and a perimeter established for the building. Signage will be posted on the building’s exterior.

Currently, the District is assessing the cost of repairing and retrofitting Davies Hall versus demolishing it and providing a replacement facility. Given the timeline of construction and planning that would be necessary to undertake a modernization or retrofitting, we don’t expect to have a firm decision about the best plan for at least a few months.

Given the structural concerns from DSA, we expect the timeline to resolve this will be measured in years, not weeks or months.

We have been informed by the Division of State Architects (DSA) that Davies Hall may be vulnerable and become a safety risk in the case of a seismic event. While the likelihood of a serious incident that would cause building failure is very low, the results of such a failure would be catastrophic and not a risk we are willing to take. We are committed to always putting the safety of students, faculty, and staff front and center.

Given the structural concerns from DSA, we expect the timeline to resolve this will be measured in years, not weeks or months.

We believe students will be able to make it through a brief change in modality with encouragement and access to support services and technology resources. If students are impacted by this change and don't believe they can continue with their class we can work with them on the next step for an excused withdrawal, but our first goal is to do whatever we can to help students stay enrolled.