Acorn

Media Credit: Jackie Ryan A temporary external heating unit was installed on the road between Asbury and Embury halls, converting the road into a one-way street until the main heaters are fixed by the boiler's manufacturer [Click to enlarge]

Thanks to the watchful eye of a Facilities Resource Management mechanic, Drew University will be a little warmer these frigid February days.

On Jan. 25, during a routine inspection of Drew�s Central Heating Plant � which is responsible for keeping everything from President Bob Weisbuch�s office to the Hoyt singles warm � a leak was spotted coming from one of the systems three boilers. According to Director of Facilities Julie Valerio, upon further inspection, �two water tubes coming from the boiler were burst and broken� and needed to be fixed.

The boiler � which is relatively new, according to Valerio, having been installed �sometime in 2004� � was shut down, and a temporary replacement was needed.

�Boilers are supposed to last for a long time,� Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs Mike McKitish said. �There is no reason why these [new boilers] should have failed.�

The boilers had been purchased one and a half years ago.

According to Valerio, a rental boiler was brought in � �simply a back-up, for insurance against these upcoming cold months� � and is now blocking both traffic and any view from an Embury office window.

In the meantime, a Public Safety officer will be stationed near the boiler to direct incoming traffic, which has been redirected to Drew�s main entrance. Fortunately, the driving inconvenience is the only difficulty caused by the burst boiler. According to Valerio, no buildings lost or will lose heat, nor will any water heaters be affected.

�The boiler manufacturer, boiler seller, maintenance and Aramark all met [on Wednesday] to discuss the problem,� McKitish said. �The meeting proceeded in good order. Working together should not be a challenge.�

Mckitish emphasized that the issue was �not to assign blame.�

�We spoke with Aramark, and the rental will be gone, and the boiler either fixed or replaced in the next couple weeks,� Valerio said, �so it won�t be there for the rest of the semester, as someone told me is the rumor.�

Boilers one and two need to be scrubbed and worked on by the manufacturer, according to McKitish. Boiler three will be improved as well.

Valerio also addressed a rumor about an explosion or a bomb going off inside the boiler.

�Rumors of an explosion are simply not true,� Valerio said, laughing them off. �Water caused the damage.�

Facilities was busy throughout the winter before dealing with the burst boiler, having installed more carbon dioxide detectors around campus, as well as upgrading the elevator inside the Commons with new equipment to meet current codes. There were also two electrical projects Facilities undertook this break, according to Valerio, which included installing exterior high voltage transformers outside of both the Suites and SW Bowne. The transformers were mentioned in the 2002 Needs Assessment made of the University, and were required to �replace antiquated equipment,� Valerio said.

Two air handling units were installed in the Commons, new offices were built in the Learning Center and plans began for the resurfacing of Drew�s tennis courts � which will begin immediately following the spring season.

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