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Projects Updates for place: Mechanical Engineering Laboratory

  1. Meeting with F&S officials

    Associated Project(s): 

    Met with the university Facilities and Services officials and LED staff on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, to discuss the progress of LED Campus projects so far. The main focus of the meeting was Exit signs in the buildings. Meeting was hosted by Mogan Johnston, and attended by Ken Buenting, Brian Finet, Steven Bainbridge, and Patty Douglas.

  2. Bike parking added

    Associated Project(s): 

    BIKE RACK REPLACEMENTS: The replacement of 344 broken/unusable campus bike racks at the College of Education, Loomis Laboratory, Main Library, Mechanical Engineering Building, and Smith Memorial Hall was completed. Bike racks at David Kinley Hall and the Psychology Building will also be replaced in coordination with construction taking place at those locations. 

     

  3. Campus approves an additional $100K for LED Exit Signs

    Associated Project(s): 

    After the successful completion of the recent LED Exit Sign upgrades, the F&S Building Maintenance division has received approval for another round of LED Exit Sign upgrades.  Ken Buenting, Sharon Ball, Ryan Wild, and Morgan Johnston met to discuss the prioritization process for identifying the next buildings to address.  Buildings will be ranked according to student/transient visitor contact hours (if this information can be obtained), results of campus code fire safety reports, and coordination with other projects or funding.

  4. LED Exit Sign projects completed

    Associated Project(s): 

    In support of the Chancellor's commitment to making the University of Illinois an LED Campus, 531 LED way-finding signs have been installed in eight campus buildings: Grainger Library, Animal Science, Roger Adams Lab, Engineering Science Building, Turner Hall, Main Library, Education Building, and the Chem. Life Sciences Lab.

  5. updated list of LED exit sign buildings

    Associated Project(s): 

    FY07 - 13 buildings

    • 112 - MEB
    • 26 - Altgeld
    • 12 - Noyes
    • 99 - Undergrad
    • 210 - DCL
    • 15 - Engineering Hall
    • 152 - Hydrosystems
    • 67 - Loomis
    • 29 - MEL
    • 34 - MSEB
    • 24 - Newmark
    • 13 - Talbot
    • 42 - Transportation Bldg

    FY08 - 12 buildings

    • HARDING BAND BUILDING #4
    • ILLINI HALL #65
    • OPTICAL PHYSICS BUILDING #165
    • ILLINOIS PROGRAM FOR RESEARCH & HUMANITIES #221
    • ARCHITECTURE BUILDING #50
    • NOBLE HALL #90
    • ART & DESIGN #219
    • MUSIC BUILDING #39
    • FLAGG HALL #89
    • UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL #61
    • ARMORY #6
    • FOELLINGER AUDITORIUM #7

    FY14 – CURRENT PROJECT

    • #324 Grainger Library
    • #174 Engineering Sciences
    • #116 Roger Adams Lab
    • #336 Animal Sciences
    • #197 Turner Hall
    • #370 South Studio #5
    • #371 South Studio #7

    OTHER PROJECTS

    • #339 Temple Buell Hall
  6. update on project progress

    Associated Project(s): 

    Ken Buenting, Sharon Ball, Eva Sweeney, Morgan Johnston, and Ryan Wild met to review progress on the LED Exit Sign work.  Ken reported great progress with four buildings complete and one in progress: Grainger, RAL, Animal Sciences Lab, and the Engineering Sciences Building.  They are in Turner Hall now.  Just over $24K has been spent so far through the contractor.  They will move on to the Main Library and the Education Building next.

    The current implementation process is as follows:

    1. Ryan Wild and Morgan Johnston work with others to identify the priority list of buildings.
    2. Eva Sweeney will review records to ascertain whether the fixtures are connected to an emergency generator or will need battery backup.
    3. Sharon Ball and team will do the initial count of fixtures.
    4. Ken Buenting will direct the hired contractor to replace the existing fixtures and provide data sheets for our records.
    5. Eva Sweeney and Ryan Wild will identify additional signage installation needs.
    6. Ken will direct the F&S electricians to install the additional signs.

    Eva had Ken remove Temple Buell Hall from the list because it is being handled through another project.  Also, through other funding, South studio five and seven were completed.

  7. Exit Signs to be upgraded to LEDs in 7 buildings

    Associated Project(s): 

    Building

    Bld #

    Cost (labor/material)

         

    Animal Science Lab

    165

    $10,900

    Temple Buell Hall

    339

    $7,300

    Turner Hall

    197

    $10,500

    Grainger Library

    324

    $8,200

    Roger Adams Lab

    116

    $12,300

    Engineering Science Bld

    174

    $13,400

         
       

    Cost (Material only)

    Abbott Power Plant

    120

    $36,900

         
     

    Total

    $99,500

     

  8. Campus funding allocated for LED exit signs

    Associated Project(s): 

    The LED Campus commitment includes having all the interior wayfinding signs converted to LED by 2025.  This is primarily LED Exit Signs.   We had hoped to use the Revolving Loan Fund to implement another phase of the LED Exit Sign project.  However, that funding is only applicable if there is a reasonable payback through utility savings.  LED Exit Signs have a good payback, but not through Utilities.  The savings come from reduced maintenance, which also provides a reasonable payback.   Given the shortfall in maintenance funding and the Chancellor’s commitment to becoming an LED campus, Mike Andrechak agreed to provide $100,000 per year for two years toward LED Exit Signs.  This funding could be continued in future years, subject to funding approval.

  9. Letter to SSC

    Associated Project(s): 

    Dear Student Sustainability Committee,   As the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coordinator in Facilities & Services, I am writing to introduce myself to the Committee and provide you with an update on the Bicycle Parking Upgrade project, which I have taken over as part of my new role. We have been transitioning the role of TDM Coordinator from Morgan Johnston to me since June, and she has been working to bring me up to speed on the large number of transportation infrastructure projects happening across campus, including bicycle parking upgrades. While we have made progress toward the completion of this project, we are requesting an additional extension to finish the work.   In addition to the delay from the staff transition period, we have taken some time to evaluate our various options to ensure that the upgraded racks provide the long-term solution that was intended by SSC’s funding award. One of the primary challenges with this project is that many of the bike parking locations selected for this project are in need of concrete or pavement upgrades; however, funding is not in the TDM budget to pay for these upgrades. One location, the Art & Design Building, has been completed so far with financial support from the Art & Design Department to re-lay new concrete at that site.  For the majority of the other locations, however, there is no funding available from the departments to repair or replace the cracked and degraded concrete.  This has made us hesitant to install new bicycle racks onto pavement that will need to be replaced in a matter of years.   As a more permanent solution, we are looking at a few alternative configurations of bike racks.  All those we are considering are moveable and can easily be relocated – whether to upgrade the pavement beneath them, to accommodate a construction project, or to permanently relocate a building’s bicycle parking to a more optimal location over time.  We are looking at rack units which can be purchased and also a rack where 5 U-loops would be installed on rails, rather than directly cemented into the ground. While the initial cost of constructing the loops on rails is higher, it is a much more sustainable approach to bike parking given the challenges at these locations, and it is more affordable than replacing the pavement at each location. A rack unit can also be placed on permeable pavement, or even in a gravel/grass location temporarily as needed.  The lifespan of a bike rack unit is significantly higher, and offers much greater flexibility for placement and upkeep of the racks and surrounding landscape. Due to a potential increased initial cost of the racks on rails configuration (if this is what is determined to be the approved configuration), I may be requesting approval to change the scope of the project.  A change of scope is necessary because fewer total bike parking loops may be possible when on racks. Once we have identified a configuration that meets the best need of the users, we will be ready to proceed with the project and do not expect any further delays, but getting to this point has taken longer than originally expected. We anticipate being finished with the installation of these racks before the beginning of the fall semester 2014. Please let me know whether this change in the scope of the project is acceptable to the SSC.  I will keep you informed on the status and look forward to working with you on the best solution for our campus. Facilities & Services is incredibly grateful to the SSC for your ongoing support for sustainable transportation initiatives on campus, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to make the campus more bike-able, walkable, and transit-friendly. If you would like more detail, please contact me.   Thank you,   Stacey DeLorenzo Design Review Coordinator Transportation Demand Management Coordinator University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Facilities Services Office: 217-300-1750 Cell: 217-722-4992        

  10. bike parking review meeting

    Associated Project(s): 

    Stacey DeLorenzo, Amelia Neptune, Morgan Johnston, and Noel Grove met to review the bike parking estimates for this project.  There are a few locations where the pavement is in terrible condition, so we discussed options for handling those locations.  The racks could be installed on rails, or the pavement could be replaced.  There were also a few locations where there are conflicting major projects occuring in the near future.  Stacey will talk to the project managers for those sites to work through the solutions for the bike parking installation.

    Additionally, this project includes the installation of one bike fix-it station at Allen Hall.  Amelia began this work and Stacey will take it over now.  Stacey and Amelia will meet with Sean Sullivan in the SSC to provide him with an update.  Noel Grove will provide cost break downs with the pavement work separate from the bike rack installation work.  He will also contact the Iron Workers to discuss options for racks on rails built in-house.

  11. Bike fix-it station update

    Associated Project(s): 

    From: Neptune, Amelia
    Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 12:27 PM
    To: Ortiz, Benita Vonne
    Cc: Johnston, Morgan B
    Subject: Bicycle Repair Station outside of Allen Hall

    Hi Vonne,

    As you may recall, earlier in the school year we had discussed that there is some funding for a new bicycle repair station near Allen Hall/CRCE. The original location we proposed near Gregory Drive in front of CRCE was rejected by the Architecture Review Committee, and they have proposed a better location near the bike parking area in front of Allen Hall. I would like to get your OK on this location before we move forward.

    The first attached PDF shows the location proposed by the Architecture Review Committee. As you’ll see in the photos on pages 2 and 3, it is on existing pavement, close to the bike parking, but not blocking a walkway, which I think is ideal.

    The second PDF shows the specifications of the newly designed repair stations so you know what it would look like. The new design is much smaller and (in my opinion) more attractive than the existing repair stations we have elsewhere on campus. The blue color of the existing stations is no longer available, so our plan is to match the color of the adjacent bike parking, in this case black.

    Please let me know if Housing has any objections to this location, or would like to meet there in person to discuss it further. Once I have your approval, we’ll move forward placing the order and installing this summer.  Please let me know if there are any questions.

    Thank you,

    Amelia  

    =========================================

    Amelia Neptune

    Campus Bicycle Coordinator

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    1501 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820

    aneptune@illinois.edu

    217-300-1316

  12. Art and Design bike racks funded

    Associated Project(s): 

    To Davie Akins, Please proceed with the bike parking upgrade on the west side of Art and Design, per the previous discussions we have had.  The SSC funding will contribute $11,849.50 from CFOP: 1-629514-814006-xxxxxx-191200-814BIK. - from Morgan Johnston

  13. Code Complance and Fire Safety Funding Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 

    Ryan Wild, in Code Compliance and Fire Safety, met with Morgan Johnston to review the funding parameters for this project, and identify next steps.  Morgan asked Teresa Tousignant and Nishant Makhijani, from the Student Sustainability Committee, about potential student volunteers to help locate the existing incandescent exit signs.  Ryan will work on the building surveys for the smaller buildings, and we will hold KCPA, Main Library, Beckman, Roger Adams Lab, and Chem Life Sciences Lab for potential student assistance.

  14. LED Exit Signage FY12

    Associated Project(s): 

    Twenty University buildings have been allocated RLF funding for LED exit signage in FY12. The buildings, in order of priority, are Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Foellinger Auditorium, the Beckman Institute, the Main Library, Davenport Hall, Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, the Education Building, the Law Building, the Animal Sciences Laboratory, Freer Hall, the Henry Administration Building, Grainger Engineering Library, the Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building, Turner Hall, the Illini Union Bookstore, the Stock Pavilion, the Engineering Sciences Building, Kenney Gymnasium, the Roger Adams Laboratory, and the Chemical and Life Science Laboratory.

    Implementation of LED exit signage has already started for four of these buildings; 75 percent of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 80 percent of Foellinger Auditorium, 10 percent of Freer Hall, and 30 of the Henry Administration Building has been completed. Implementation in the remainder of the buildings is now set to begin.

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