|
College to upgrade tech building with $5.5M in funding |
|
|
|
Written by Caroline Zentner
|
|
Friday, May 08 2009, 10:34 PM |
Lethbridge College will be able to replace and upgrade infrastructure in its technology building and boost the local economy thanks to nearly $5.5 million in federal and provincial funding.
“I think it’s great that the province and the federal government were able to work together,” said Lethbridge MP Rick Casson at Friday’s announcement. “We split the cost 50-50. We realized there was a need in the colleges and universities and the trade institutes across the country so we came up with a $2-billion program over two years and this is the first rollout.”
“To partner with the federal government and bring $5.5 million to Lethbridge College to see these needed upgrades happening is just phenomenal for the college and the whole community,” said Lethbridge West MLA Greg Weadick. “It’s really a facility that touches the community in so many ways.”
The federal portion of $2.74 million is part of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. The $2-billion investment is to repair and expand research and educational facilities at Canadian colleges and universities.
Alberta’s matching amount comes from the $400-million capital plan for Campus Alberta under the 2009 budget.
The money will be used to replace the three-decades-old heating, venting and air conditioning and electrical components of the technology building.
“We have old generators and steam boilers that are really quite antiquated,” said Rick Buis, college vice-president of corporate and international services. “They take up a lot of room. You’ve got to crank them up; it takes forever to heat a building. We have to have them running continuously because of the fluctuations in temperature in southern Alberta, especially in the spring and fall, so they’re really quite inefficient.”
They’ll be replaced with hot water boilers that heat up quickly and draw energy only when needed. Electrical components will be added to provide backup generation power. The upgrade adds to the energy-efficient upgrades the college has already accomplished.
“The energy that we have saved from 2000 to now every year going forward is equivalent to the power that our instructional building consumes every year,” Buis said.
“To be able to put $5 million into that project will help (the college) free up dollars for other things but also lays the foundation for this building to be fit for its purpose for many years to come,” Casson said. “Plus this whole thing is part of an economic stimulus package that is meant to create jobs right now, that’s why they had to be shovel-ready. We want these projects started; they have to be finished by the end of March two years from now.”
The job will be put out for tender as soon as possible and the project is expected to take eight to 14 months to complete. Classes won’t be disrupted.
|
