Construction chills campus

Construction is under way to finish connecting Texas A&M University-Commerce's chilled water loop around campus.

"The chilled water loop is the power system for the heating and cooling in all the buildings outside of residential life," Executive Director of Facilities & Support Services David McKenna said. "What it will do is give us much greater capacity, especially in the hot summers, to cool and maintain all of the buildings." 

McKenna said during summer months it has been necessary to move equipment around campus to ensure adequate cooling in A&M-Commerce's buildings.

"Last year, usually during July and August, we sometimes had to take the air conditioning down to the Field House so we could divert power to other buildings," he said.  "With this completed we will have the additional capacity of using the chillers that were in the old MSC (Memorial Student Center) and that will give us the additional power to where we can then cool and maintain all the buildings on campus that are on the chilled water loop."    

Construction began after the end of the fall 2009 semester and expected completion is scheduled for early to mid-February McKenna said.  

He said construction would remain concentrated in front of the Ferguson Social Sciences Building and along A&M-Commerce's walking mall.

The chilled water loop system is not "green" energy technology in the "strictest sense," McKenna said, but it will be more efficient than at present.

"Due to the efficiency of use it is ‘greener' than other heating and cooling systems," he said.

Areas closed to pedestrian traffic have made walking around campus tougher, though some students are willing to make the sacrifice for the good of the school.

"Right now it's an inconvenience," senior environmental science major Grace Lawson said. "But if it truly does what it's supposed to, it's going to help the university in the long run."

While there have been complaints from students, some see it as a necessary evil.

"I just figure anything done to improve the campus is a good thing," James G. Gee Library staff member Mary O'Brian said.