Demolition Plans Advance for Abandoned 200 Bungalows
By Maxime Leonard
The 200 Bungalows have been fully abandoned on campus since 2020, and plans to demolish them are finally moving forward. A contractor is being bid on to evaluate and remove hazardous materials.
While four of the buildings have been abandoned since 2020, others were abandoned previously. All services such as the Queer Resource Center have been moved to other buildings on campus, and the bungalows are currently used as storage. This past summer, a fire started in between the bungalows; although there was no major damage to the buildings, the fire did affect a 15-year-old art project being stored in the bungalows, along with some art supplies. This art project consists of statues with wooden bases made of papier-mâché that were left around campus with small plaques.
Since the incident, debris from the fire has sat outside the bungalows; however, plans are in motion to remove and clean up the area. As for the bungalows themselves, a demolition plan has existed for quite some time, and the facilities committee plans to complete the demolition by the spring semester.
According to Facilities Committee Chair Alberto Vasquez, the project is estimated to cost $950,00. This cost only covers the demolition and does not include the necessary evaluation for a contractor to check for and remove hazardous materials before the demolition.
Examples of hazardous materials are Lead, asbestos, and lighting ballasts which could contain either mercury – if the lights are fluorescent – or Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs are “a group of man-made organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms”. They must be removed carefully before demolition due to their harmful effects on the skin or if inhaled.
Another impediment to the demolition is the potential of critical infrastructure, such as water pipes underneath the ground. However, any facilities underneath would be shut off before and during demolition to prevent damage to surrounding areas. The space surrounding the bungalows will also be fenced off with construction barriers for student safety.
Once the demolition is completed, the area will be converted into a parking lot to address the need for increased parking on campus due to the upcoming Balboa Project. This project aims to turn the reservoir behind the Multi-Use Building and the future Creative Arts and Sciences Building into a public space. The Balboa Project is intended to be finished by midyear in 2025, and more information about the project can be found on their website.
As for the 200 Bungalows, they will continue to be a topic in future meetings of the facilities committee. For further updates, the next facilities commission meeting will be held on October 28 on Zoom. The link for the meeting can be found on the Facilities Committee webpage.