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| Contact: | Mary Vosevich, (505) 277-6644 or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821 |
March 27, 2001
FUNDING APPROVED FOR UTILITIES INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AT UNM
The University of New Mexico will issue a bond package worth $60 million,
to upgrade, improve and renovate the utilities infrastructure. The State Board
of Finance and the Commission on Higher Education recently approved the financing
measure. The financing will come in the form of University system revenue bonds,
which will be retired through money saved from a more efficient and reliable
utilities system.
It is critically important to replace the World War II-era utility equipment
and systems so that proper reliable heating, cooling, and electrical service
can be provided, now and in the future, to the health care facilities, students,
faculty, staff, and research activities on the campus, said Jeff Easton,
Chief Executive Officer of Lobo Energy, Inc.
Three major components comprise the multi-year utilities project including
energy conservation measures, chilled water modifications and the renovation
of Ford Utilities Center. The five-year project will address a failing utilities
infrastructure, which has suffered from insufficient capital investment over
the years coupled with a higher demand for energy supplies.
The University has been pursuing a viable solution to its massive infrastructure
burden since 1993. Its been a long road to get to this point, but
now, were off and running, said Mary Vosevich, Director of the Physical
Plant. One of the main goals of the project is better utility efficiencies
and reliability which will lower the cost of utility usage. In turn, we will
use the utility savings to retire the bonds and pay for the project.
The first phase of the project, which will begin this summer, includes energy
conservation measures consisting of four projects including new lighting, building
chilled water pumping modifications, building ventilation modifications, and
installing energy management control systems.
Chilled water modifications comprise the second phase of the project, which
includes a new chilled water plant at a proposed location south of Lomas and
west of Stanford designed to meet the needs of both main and north campuses.
After the new plant is in operation, the north chiller plant will be demolished
to open up real estate on the north campus for the future development of the
University Hospitals master plan.
The third phase of the multi-year utilities infrastructure project includes
the renovation of the Ford Utilities Center, which will include replacing all
steam boilers and all chillers, and the installation of a co-generation plant,
which will allow simultaneous production of electricity and steam from natural
gas.
Lobo Energy developed the business plan for the Physical Plant Department
and will support the Physical Plant in the implementation of the business plan,
said Vosevich. What we will be doing over the next five years is preparing
the University for the future.
The project recognizes the value of energy conservation and incorporates many savings measures into the project. Those conservation efforts will essentially help repay the bonds. What we plan to do as were introducing energy conservation projects, is to have the University community support this project and to make them aware of energy conservation measures, said Vosevich. We want to heighten everyones awareness toward energy conservation.
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The University
of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981