The plastic wrap and the scaffolding are coming down, and the Mondavi Center repair job is getting the best possible reaction: It doesn’t like they did anything at all.

Au contraire! What you see all along the south wall and elsewhere are brand new sandstone tiles (we brought in some 50,000 from the same Indian quarry as the first batch). Photos.

McCarthy Building Cos., the general contractor that erected the performing arts center 10 years ago, broke off the old tiles and the membrane underneath — then put up a new membrane (and the new tiles over that) to correct a waterproofing problem.

UC paid nothing for the work, under the terms of a $7.1 million mediated settlement with McCarthy and others.

The repair work started in August. All the scaffolding should be down by around the beginning of March, said Alex Achimore of Design and Construction Management. Cleanup and landscaping (along the south side) should be done by end of May.

Registration open for ADMAN conference

Registration is open for the 2012 ADMAN Mid-Management Conference — and the organizers are once again advising: Register early, because the conference fills up fast.

ADMAN is the Administrative Management Group, which holds the Mid-Management Conference annually to address topics of interest to campus managers, find ways to improve and simplify business operations at all levels, promote professional growth of all department and unit administrators and managers, and encourage work-life enrichment through training and understanding.

This year’s conference is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom. The theme is Tools to Build Spirit.

The keynote presenters: Tim and Kris O’Shea, former corporate professionals in sales, training and human resources, with second jobs at night: comedy writing and performing. Now they are internationally recognized speakers, presenting their unique blend of business humor.

Registration and more information. Fees (including a buffet breakfast and a catered, sit-down lunch): $105 for people who register by Tuesday (Feb. 22), or $115 for those registering from Feb. 23 to 29. Only departmental recharges are allowed as payment.

Questions? Contact ADMAN Chair Jessica Potts, (530) 752-3988 or jrpotts@ucdavis.edu.

Web chat with Yudof: March 2

A Web chat with UC President Mark G. Yudof is scheduled for Friday, March 2. The Ustream chat for faculty and staff is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., hosted and moderated by the staff advisers to the Board of Regents.

Topics will include:

• State funding for UC
• The Working Smarter initiative
• Recent campus protests

Faculty and staff are welcome to submit questions in advance via the staff advisers' What's On Your Mind website.

Read more, including technical information about the chat, and how to sign up for a Ustream account, if you wish to ask a question during the chat. Creating a Ustream account is not required to simply watch and listen.

Staff town hall rescheduled: March 22

A staff town hall with the chancellor and provost has been rescheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom.

The town hall had been set to take place Jan. 30, but was called off due to a death in Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi’s family.

She is on the March 22 speakers panel along with Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor; John Meyer, vice chancellor, Administrative and Resource Management; Kelly Ratliff, associate vice chancellor, Budget and Institutional Analysis; and Karen Hull, associate vice chancellor, Human Resources. Staff Assembly Chair Rob Kerner is listed as the moderator.

More details will be announced as they become available.