Construction crews are tearing up the backyard at the White Mountain Apartment Complex (WMAC). Employed through Engelberth Construction of Bedford, N.H., the crews are in the process of replacing the buried steam pipes. A significant part of the larger $5 million Eco Project, the steam pipe initiative is scheduled for completion by August 15.
Part of the Eco Project was completed last summer. The deteriorating phone lines were upgraded and Resnet was expanded to the rest of the student apartments in the WMAC. Fire alarms and sprinklers were also added to each apartment, a significant upgrade in fire safety equipment. “Part of the $5 million project,” says Bill Crangle, Vice President for Financial Affairs, “was started last summer. We upgraded the telephone system, and expanded Resnet into all of the apartments. We also upgraded fire safety by installing sprinklers and fire alarms.”
Due to the deteriorating condition of the steam pipes running through the WMAC, there is a need to replace them. Buried when the first apartments were built in the late ‘60’s, they have lasted a remarkably long time. According to Tom Weeks, Apartment Complex Manager, “The steam pipes were installed in the late ‘60’s when the original apartments were built. Now the pipes are beginning to deteriorate. The new pipes will ensure that the students have a reliable source of heat and hot water for years to come.”
Construction crews are in the process of digging up the old steam pipes so they can be replaced over the summer. At the close of the semester, the old steam pipes will be removed and new pipes will be installed. The last aspect of the initiative is the reburial of the pipes. “Basically,” said Crangle, “we are replacing something that was already there.”
In addition to the replacement of the steam pipes, several other summer projects are underway as part of the Eco Project. The projects will include improvements to the interior of the apartments, such as bathroom interiors and apartment doors. Crangle went on to explain, “This summer we are finishing the sprinkler systems that was started last year in the Non-Trads.”
The Eco Project carries a price tag of $5 million. A 30-year bond was issued by the Higher Education Finance Association (HEFA) to finance the project. HEFA issues bonds to non-profit institutions and is the main bond issue company that the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) deals with. PSC is a member of the USNH. The funding to pay the bond back is through a slight increase in the on-campus-housing fee first seen last year. According to Weeks the bond is being paid through residential fees from on-campus students.
The deadline for completion of all the projects is set for August 15. By setting the deadline before the start of the fall semester, residents of the student apartments will not be without hot water or heat, and should not be disrupted by electricians and contractors going about their business. “August 15 is the deadline,” explains Crangle. “That deadline was picked so that when students come back to their apartments for the start of the fall semester, they will have hot water and heat available.
Unfortunately, in order to complete the projects in the WMAC, students will not be allowed to live in the apartments over the summer. According the Weeks all students must be out of their apartments by 5 p.m. on May 18.
Also set for completion by August 15 is Prospect Dining Hall, though the deadline is a bit tighter. Crangle is confident that everything will be done on time, but he adds, the dinning hall is going to be tight.