12/15/05, 2:30 p.m.
Good News!!
The repair of the main line is complete and we are filling the system at this time. You should feel heat within the hour. The repair to the HAB/SUB line is on schedule for completion around 4:00pm with heat to immediately follow in those buildings.
12/15/05, 12:30 p.m.
We worked until late last night successfully removing about 2000 pounds of concrete to uncover the leaking line. This morning we removed a 8 foot section of that line and are welding it into place. Concurrently, we are replacing a smaller line that supplies both the HAB & SUB with HTHW which was also leaking.
If all goes as planned we should be returning heat to all the affected buildings by 3:00PM except for HAB & SUB which will take another couple of hours to complete.
I realize that some buildings are uncomfortably cold and I thank you all for your good spirit during this difficult repair.
I will update everyone again this afternoon.
John Shupe
Asst. Vice President for Facilities Management
12/14/05
The President and Vice Presidents met this morning with Assistant Vice President John Shupe of Facilities to discuss the impending shutoff of the heat tomorrow to a number of residence halls and academic buildings and what steps need to be taken to ensure that employees and students are not exposed to uncomfortable or intolerable environmental conditions.
At the meeting, John Shupe explained that waiting to do this repair after final exams or on the weekend is not an option as the situation could worsen and cause a longer heating emergency on campus. Facilities has made similar repairs under similar cold temperature conditions in previous winters in which they have shut off heat to some buildings in the manner he outlined in his previous e-mail to the campus. He said that he does not expect the temperature in the buildings tomorrow to drop to an uncomfortable level. Because of these assurances, we will be open and we will hold final exams as scheduled.
The current plan is to shut off the heat at 4 a.m. tomorrow and to begin repairs once the steam lines have drained. Shupe does not anticipate that the repairs will take more than 4-5 hours, but the worst-case scenario would involve 8 to 10 hours without heat. Even with the heat off for that length of time, he does not expect the buildings to be uncomfortably cold.
If for some reason the situation changes, we'll let you know as soon as we know and will consider what necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that members of the campus community are not put at risk of being exposed to uncomfortable working, living and study conditions. Again, we thank you for your patience during this time. Remember, that it is important to keep all windows closed and to open exterior doors as little as possible to keep the existing heat in the buildings.
We have residence hall staff and building coordinators who will be monitoring the situation in these buildings, however, if you are experiencing uncomfortable conditions tomorrow, please alert Facilities at x3301. We want to know if conditions change rapidly for the worst. While we will not be able to turn the heat back on during the repairs, if we are alerted to an emergency situation, we will assess it and consider contingency arrangements for those affected.