After numerous delays in the completion of Weyburn Terrace, a
graduate student housing complex in Westwood originally expected to
be done by last September, construction on the $147.7 million
complex remains unfinished after passing its latest completion
deadline last month.
It was originally anticipated that all seven of the buildings in
Weyburn Terrace would be completed by September of last year, but
only three were finished on schedule. The deadlines for the
remaining four buildings have been continuously pushed back
throughout the year, and at least one building ““ Sycamore
Court ““ is still not completed.
UCLA officials declined numerous requests for interviews to
discuss the reasons for the continued delays, and did not give a
new expected date for completion, as they had in the earlier stages
of the project.
Kathy FitzGerald, the director of project management for campus
capital programs, said in an e-mail statement that they now
estimate that all buildings and landscaping will be completed by
early summer.
“Delays are not uncommon with construction projects of
this complexity,” FitzGerald said.
In an e-mail last month, FitzGerald said that limited interior
work along with final testing and inspections were expected to be
completed in May on the three unoccupied buildings of the
project.
Now that housing officials say the complex’s construction
is reaching its final stages, sign-ups have begun for graduate
students to live in Weyburn Terrace.
Housing Director Michael Foraker said that incoming medical
students have priority in housing sign-ups since they are the first
to start classes in the fall.
Foraker said that primary reports suggest there will be a high
return rate of residents to Weyburn Terrace despite the
construction complications over the past year.
As of winter quarter, many residents living in the
complex’s buildings that were completed experienced
widespread problems with their apartments including flooding,
insect infestation and faulty appliances.
Having dealt with sandbags lining a section of the sidewalk and
an entire block of sidewalk along Weyburn Avenue closed to
pedestrians as recently as last month, current residents of Weyburn
Terrace say they have come to accept the construction work as a
part of their daily lives.
Though the work has been ongoing since the first few buildings
opened last summer, some residents say they have not been
inconvenienced by all the construction and accompanying noise.
Susan Wise, a first-year law student and resident of Olive
Court, said that she has not had any problems with her apartment
since she moved in and that the only inconvenience is all the
noise.
Wise also said that whenever she had any minor problems with her
apartment, maintenance would fix the problem within two days.
Marika Suzuki, a first-year Ph.D. student, said it was a slight
inconvenience to have to find an alternative to using the sidewalk
that is already available but currently closed to pedestrians.
Other students say they are not bothered by the noise from the
construction work.
Frank Lee, a second-year statistics graduate student, said that
he had a couple problems with his apartment, including a lack of
hot water that his roommate has complained about.
Lee said that he believes that there is a problem with the way
the apartments were designed because of how easy it is to hear
noises from his neighbors. Lee attributes the problem to thin
walls.