By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
Chances are, if a student has walked by Schoo-Bemis Hall en route to Cheney or another destination in the past couple of weeks, they’ve certainly noticed the fenced-off construction sites near that area on campus. While some people walk by and pay no mind to the ongoing work, others likely are more intrigued.
Well, for those wondering, Springfield College’s Facilities team is working on a couple of different issues regarding steam and water supply near the intersection of Cheney, Schoo-Bemis and Hickory Halls.
One of the problems Springfield College Director of Facilities Management Kevin Roy and his team are addressing is that the underground steam pipes that supply heat and hot water to the campus run too close to the waterline going into Schoo-Bemis.
As a result, the water in Schoo-Bemis didn’t always come out at the desired temperature.
“There were some issues in that building where the cold water was getting warm,” Roy said.
Facilities are working to alleviate this concern by relocating the water line for Schoo-Bemis to keep it away from any steam sources.
At the same time, Facilities is working to fix a steam leak near Cheney Hall, and it is also in the process of moving the water lines near the area about 20 feet underground.
Roy attributes these problems to the age of the underground pipes, and the difficulties they can cause over time.
”It’s older piping that’s in the ground,” Roy said. “As the ground shifts around, you end up getting some leaks in the steam pipes.”
However, these particular issues are not new. Roy and the rest of the Facilities team have overcome similar snags in the recent past.
“We do fight this,” Roy said. “Here or there, we have some steam leaks to manage.”
The current construction is unrelated to the work done on the Admin Green last year; the two projects don’t have a direct link. Nonetheless, the projects do share some common threads.
“That was a different issue,” Roy said. “Last year was when we replaced and repaired the water line going into the Admin building. But all of these issues are similar in the aspect that the pipes that are on the ground are older and that they do fail from time to time.”
In terms of a timeline of when the work is expected to be completed, Roy is optimistic that the New Year will bring new and improved steam and water flow to the area under construction.
“We’re hoping by the first of the year, everything is repaired and backfilled, and the fence is down,” Roy said. “I would say for students, when they come back from break, that should all be resolved over there.”
Photo by: Tucker Paquette/The Student