|
Steam system construction limits pedestrian options |
|
|
|
Thursday, 29 November 2007 |
 Sections of sidewalk in between the new dining hall and Raley Hall will soon be closed to pedestrians. The fencing may remain in place through the spring semester until the completion of the first phase of the steam system replacement. Photo by Derek DeSha
|
by JILLIAN SWORDS
News Reporter
Construction began this week to replace the existing steam system currently providing heat to Appalachian State University’s air and water.
Assistant Director of the university’s Physical Plant Patrick S. Brittain said the first phase of the project will barricade off sidewalk space stretching from Chapel Wilson Hall through the space between Rankin Science South and the Old Belk Library Classroom Building to behind the Varsity Gym and new dining facility.
“Once
the area in front of the Varsity Gym is complete, we will slowly be
able to remove some of the fencing,” Brittain said. “Until then,
basically half or more of the sidewalks are going to be covered up
[with fencing, trucks, etc.]."
Brittain said the expected total cost of the project is $2.5 million, a
number that pales in comparison to what the university pays in monthly
power bills to heat the campus. Natural gas, which heats the steam,
costs an average of $200,000 to $800,000 a month during the winter, he
said.
In addition, the campus’ steam plant runs between $5,000 to $6,000 per month to operate, Brittain said.
Director of Design and Construction Clyde D. Robbins said the steam plant’s budget is auxiliary to other university costs.
For example, the plant bills Housing and Residence Life for the heating
costs of the dorms. A portion of student housing fees then pays this
bill.
The current steam system was constructed in pieces that range from 30 to 50 years old.
“Basically, it has outlived its life span,” Brittain said.
Robbins said the condensate lines that return the steam to the plant to
be reused once it has heated the buildings are rotting, creating the
inefficiency that has caused the system to run overtime.
Junior anthropology major Christine R. Kirby acknowledged that having a
campus that is constantly under construction can be a hassle at times,
but said “at least they’re doing something with our tuition money,” she
said. “They’re updating, moving money around…[making] it more
comfortable for us. People will just get more exercise [maneuvering the
construction].”
Brittain said the project’s speed will depend on Boone’s unpredictable relationship with Mother Nature this winter.
A best-case scenario would see partial removal of the fencing by the
start of spring semester, Brittain said. Otherwise, it will remain
there until summer 2008.
The first phase has a tentative one-year time frame, as do the planned second and third phases of the project.
Kirby has been a resident of the Living and Learning Center for three
years. Although she has heard other students complain that the boiler
system makes temperature hard to control, she does not see it as a
major inconvenience.
“To live on campus for such cheap rates [is a good trade-off],” she
said. “[But] I have had rooms very, very hot and very, very cold…I can
see how it would be really irritating.”
Although parts of the steam project construction will overlap
construction for the new dining hall along Rivers Street, Brittain said
there is a tunnel underneath the cafeteria. This will allow the steam
team to remove and replace the system without interfering with other
construction projects.
Brittain said for large areas like the university, using a central
steam heating system is much more efficient than the alternative of
having individual boilers in each building.
He said all major campuses in the University of North Carolina system utilize central steam heating.
However, for smaller areas like the University of North Carolina at
Pembroke, doing so is not cost-effective because the initial start-up
to install such a system is greater than the operating savings.
Appalachian State University does have a closed-loop heating system,
which is more environmentally efficient than the open-loop alternative.
The closed-loop system circulates hot water through a cooling tower and
then back through the system to reabsorb the heat.
Not all campuses in the UNC system have closed loops, although some
have switched over in recent years. The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill upgraded to such a system in 2003.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments