Dylan Gibson may no longer be struggling with a chilly office, but the same cannot be said for all of his colleagues at Miller Hall.
A temporary steam line between Miller Hall and Western Washington University’s steam plant was installed in late October, marking another chapter in a saga that began when stationary engineers at the steam plant noticed a problem around a year ago.
“It was not until the temporary heating system got (installed) that it started to alleviate the harsh conditions for some people, (but) not everyone,” said Gibson, a program coordinator for Western Washington University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “From what I've heard from my faculty, (the classrooms) seem to be pretty warm ... but between different faculty members’ offices, it seems to vary.”
According to the Facilities Department of Operations (FDO), a search team formed within Facilities Operations eventually narrowed down the problem’s likely source to somewhere behind Miller Hall. The supply line was temporarily shut down during a test last spring break; when the search team attempted to restart it, the FDO said they found the line was “compromised” and could not be restarted until repairs were made.
“(The engineers) noticed that the system was pulling in high levels of make-up water last winter,” the Facilities Development & Operations department said in an email to The Front. “This is an indicator of leaks in an otherwise closed-loop system.”
This is not the first time problems of such nature have arisen on campus, with the FDO stating that smaller leaks near Ridgeway Kappa and Mathes Hall were repaired over the summer.
“The existing steam system averages over 60 years old and requires regular maintenance and repairs,” the FDO stated in an email. “We do regular inspections, make spot repairs where feasible, and replace larger sections as required.”
The department identified a full replacement of a larger section as the solution to Miller Hall’s problem. According to the FDO, the full length of the compromised underground pipe — approximately 600 feet along East College Way — is currently being replaced, with work expected to be completed by January.
Features to enhance the system’s robustness are also being added. According to Andy Hanson, a construction project manager for WWU, the contract for the Miller Hall project – which costs around $3 million – is funded by the state capital appropriations.
While the Facilities department has been regularly communicating with Miller Hall’s occupants, it has not been entirely smooth sailing for the latter. According to Gibson, there have been complaints about the construction’s pace, which faculty perceive as fitful.
“It seems like they will work for a few hours (in the morning), and around 10:30, 11 a.m., all work will cease, and we won't see anything until maybe the next morning,” Gibson said. “I think there's a lot of people that are (asking), ‘Why aren't they working with multiple crews overnight?’”
Hanson said that working with overnight crews would greatly increase the project cost, “both in off-hour worker wages and highly specialized night-time safety equipment.”
Furthermore, according to Hanson, “the safety sequencing of the work and physical limitations of the site” prevent many tasks from being run concurrently, forcing them to be independently completed.
Regardless, Gibson has been complimentary of the administration’s current response to the issue, especially when compared to the past.
“They've been more communicative this year since a lot of the construction got started,” Gibson said. “It seems like it's gotten better as the process has continued, and they've been a bit more responsive now when I've reached out (to ask) ‘Hey, it's really cold. Can I get a heater?’”
Carlos Braga (he/him) is a campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. In addition to his work at The Front, Carlos also does journalistic work for Bellingham’s KMRE-FM and WWU’s The Rage magazine. You can reach him at carlosbraga.thefront@gmail.com.
