Water will be temporarily shut off in Old Main on Thursday, March 16, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. in order to allow the city to replace a water meter. Restrooms will not be available in Old Main during this time. Thanks for your patience!

On October 28, Facilities was working with Yeadon Domes on the west end of Parking Lot L to install two new inflation units for the dome. Some concrete work related to this project will take place on Thursday, November 4, or Friday, November 5, in the same location in Lot L. The area that will be worked on is small (approximately 10 square feet), and the work should not be very intrusive.

Cooling to Heating Transfer Is Complete

The switch from cooling to heating on campus has been completed. If you are experiencing any heating issues, please submit a facilities request.

LED Conversion Will Resume on November 29 

The replacement of all campus light bulbs with LED light bulbs is now scheduled to resume on November 29. Facilities is building a schedule and will contact departments about when they can expect upgrades to occur.

Science 123 Classroom Remodeling Progress

The furniture has been installed in Science 123. Facilities is working to schedule installation of a railing, the final step for this project.

Air Filtration

We continue to operate HEPA filters in classrooms, common spaces, and in offices in buildings with central HVAC systems. In buildings with central HVAC, we continue to use MERV-13 filters circulating fresh air 24 hours a day.

The repair work on steam leaks on Riverside Avenue went well and has been completed. Steam is now back on at full pressure, and all hot water has been restored. 

Cooling and Heating Transfer Will Occur Over the Next Two Weeks

We will be switching from cooling to heating on campus over the next two weeks. Facilities will be removing window air conditioning units during that time.

Athletic Dome Is Going Up in Late November

The installation of the Athletic Dome has been rescheduled. It is now scheduled to go up on Monday and Tuesday, November 29 and 30. 

LED Upgrade Continues

The replacement of all campus light bulbs with LED light bulbs will resume in early November. Facilities will notify departments ahead of time about when to expect LED replacements to occur.

Science 123 Classroom Remodeling Progress

The carpet is being installed in Science 123. Furniture deliveries are being scheduled.

Air Filtration

We continue to operate HEPA filters in classrooms, common spaces, and in offices in buildings with central HVAC systems. In buildings with central HVAC, we continue to use MERV-13 filters circulating fresh air 24 hours a day.

No Blog Post Next Week

There will be no facilities blog post during the week of October 23.

Facilities has been working with Metropolitan Mechanical (MMC) to repair the steam leaks on Riverside Avenue. A steam outage originally planned to allow for repairs on October 13 needed to be moved up because the leak was worse than expected. The outage instead began at 2:30 p.m. on October 12. Repair work will continue through the night with the intent of restoring steam service the morning of October 13.

A list of buildings that are affected because of the steam shutdown follows. This only affects hot water; cold water will still be available for toilets, sinks, drinking fountains, and showers.

• Ice Arena – No hot water for the zamboni area, sinks, vanities, and showers
• Si-Melby – No hot water for sinks, vanities, and showers
• Urness Hall – No hot water for sinks, vanities, and showers
• Mortensen Hall – No hot water for sinks, vanities, and showers
• Christensen Center – No hot water for sinks, upper floor kitchen, dishwasher, and mop sink

Facilities has been working with Metropolitan Mechanical (MMC) to develop a plan to repair the steam leaks on Riverside Avenue. After careful consideration, the recommended plan requires two campus-wide steam shutdowns. The first outage, scheduled for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, October 6, will be an inspection to determine where the leak is. The work will be completed during the second shutdown, scheduled for 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, October 13. 

A list of buildings that are affected because of the steam shutdown follows. This only affects hot water; cold water will still be available for toilets, sinks, drinking fountains, and showers.

• Ice Arena – No hot water for the zamboni area, sinks, vanities, and showers
• Si-Melby – No hot water for sinks, vanities, and showers  
• Urness Hall – No hot water for sinks, vanities, and showers 
• Mortensen Hall – No hot water for sinks, vanities, and showers
• Christensen Center – No hot water for sinks, upper floor kitchen, dishwasher, and mop sink 

Science 123 Classroom Remodeling Progress

Progress continues on the Science 123 classroom remodeling project. Carpeting will be installed October 11-15. We will announce the room’s availability for use as soon as we can do so with reasonable accuracy.

Sverdrup 208 Remodeling Is Complete

All remodeling to Sverdrup 208 has been completed. The room can be reserved through University Events. It will be added to the online booking system soon, but in the meantime, you can contact the events office at events@augsburg.edu or x1104 to reserve the space.

Revised Date for New Dome Installation

Weather permitting, the new dome over the athletic field will be installed during the week of November 21.

MnDOT Closures 

MnDOT has had the 25th Avenue bridge fully closed for several weeks after a truck struck one of the beams. MnDOT opened the north side to traffic but the southbound side will remain closed at least until mid-October. It will require a more significant repair. In addition, I-94 west is closed between Highway 280  and 25th Avenue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Wednesday, September 15, to Wednesday, October 6, for repairs to 25th Avenue bridge. This includes weekends. MnDOT apologizes for the inconvenience.

Air Filtration

We continue to operate HEPA filters in classrooms, common spaces, and in offices in buildings with central HVAC systems. In buildings with central HVAC, we continue to use MERV-13 filters circulating fresh air 24 hours a day.

Work has begun on the tiered platforms and is going well. That phase of the project should be completed by Wednesday, September 29. The next phase will be carpet installation; once that is scheduled, we should be able to announce when the classroom will be available for use.

Date Set for New Dome Installation

Weather permitting, the new dome over the athletic field will be installed on Saturday, November 20.

Return to Campus Updates: 

• What to know about cleaning office spaces.
• Buildings with HVAC systems were upgraded with MERV-13 filters circulating fresh air 24 hours a day. In buildings without central HVAC systems, HEPA filtration units have been added in office spaces. There are also HEPA filtration units in classrooms.
• MnDOT has had the 25th Avenue bridge fully closed for several weeks after a truck struck one of the beams. MnDOT opened the north side to traffic but the southbound side will remain closed at least until mid-October. It will require a more significant repair. In addition, I-94 west is closed between Highway 280  and 25th Avenue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Wednesday, September 15, to Wednesday, October 6, for repairs to 25th Avenue bridge. This includes weekends. MnDOT apologizes for the inconvenience.

There are no updates to report on the Science 123 classroom remodeling this week. A timeline should be available in the next couple of weeks.

Return to Campus Updates:

• What to know about cleaning office spaces.
• Buildings with HVAC systems were upgraded with MERV-13 filters circulating fresh air 24 hours a day. In buildings without central HVAC systems, HEPA filtration units have been added in office spaces. There are also HEPA filtration units in classrooms.
• Staff and faculty in Memorial Hall who want to request a window air conditioner should make a Facilities request. Facilities will provide and install the unit, since the building doesn’t have central air conditioning.
• MnDOT has had the 25th Avenue bridge fully closed for several weeks after a truck struck one of the beams. MnDOT opened the north side to traffic but the southbound side will remain closed at least until mid-October. It will require a more significant repair. In addition, I-94 west is closed between Highway 280 and 25th Avenue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Wednesday, September 15, to Wednesday, October 6, for repairs to 25th Avenue bridge. This includes weekends. MnDOT apologizes for the inconvenience.

The Science 123 renovation project, which will include the addition of tiered platforms to expand capacity, began last week with demolition of the fixed seating and removal of the old carpet. New construction will begin this week. The new chairs for the classroom have already been delivered.

Steam Trap Leak Fixed Before Service Disruption

Many of us never know about well-managed emergencies. On Thursday, September 9, maintenance staff noticed a leak involved in a high-pressure steam trap on Augsburg’s main distribution line. Facilities staff worked with MMC and Clearway Energy to fix the problem, and were able to repair the leak with no interruptions to service.

Return to Campus Updates: 

• What to know about cleaning office spaces.
• Buildings with HVAC systems were upgraded with MERV-13 filters are circulating fresh air 24 hours a day. In buildings without central HVAC systems, HEPA filtration units have been added in office spaces. There are also HEPA filtration units in classrooms.
• Staff and faculty in Memorial Hall who want to request a window air conditioner should make a Facilities request. Facilities will provide and install the unit, since the building doesn’t have central air conditioning.
• MnDOT has had the 25th Avenue bridge fully closed for several weeks after a truck struck one of the beams. MnDOT opened the north side to traffic but the southbound side will remain closed at least until mid-October. It will require a more significant repair. MnDOT apologizes for the inconvenience.

Work is continuing on the lower level of Lindell Library, which flooded with an inch of water on August 26. A plug snapped off from the fire sprinkler line of Lindell’s water system, causing clean water to run into the mechanical room and the rest of the lower level. The entire space was flooded and nearly two feet of water filled an elevator. Custodians and firefighters responded soon afterward.

Augsburg is working with professional sanitization and environmental firms to assess when the space will be usable but they have already determined that the two classrooms, 15 and 16, are usable.

AdvantaClean, a professional sanitization company, has been finishing removing the remaining moisture and dehumidifying the lower level. Augsburg is having environmental testing by Environmental Assurance. The librarians and archivists have been going through the collection and archives housed on the lower level. Items that were higher up on shelving weren’t damaged, but some items were impacted.

Steam Vaults Repaired on August 30

• Metropolitan Mechanical(MMC) completed the annual inspection of the steam vaults on campus and has fixed a leak in two of our steam vaults. The repair of the vaults required a campus-wide steam shut down on August 30th, which resulted in no hot water in some buildings during that time.

Energy-Saving LED Lights Being Installed Campuswide 

• All campus light bulbs are being replaced with energy-saving LED lights by the end of the year. Facilities will notify departments about a week ahead of time and share updates via A-mail. The cost savings was planned to pay for a needed replacement for the Edor Nelson Athletic Field dome. The dome is 15 years old and the life expectancy is 12. The new dome will be installed the first week in November.

Campus Meeting Space

• There’s a lot of demand for student organizations to meet, so Anderson 21 and Sverdrup 208 are being turned into meeting spaces. Anderson 21, in the residence hall’s basement, was used by McGough Construction as an office during the Hagfors Center construction and will be updated with paint, new carpet, and technology to become a meeting room. Sverdrup 208, the former Honors Lounge, also is being turned into a meeting space and painting has begun. Once the projects are complete, it will be communicated via A-mail and reservations can be made.

Return to Campus Updates

• Sanitization stands with hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are stationed at the front entrance of every building on the Minneapolis campus.
• What to know about cleaning office spaces.
• Make a Facilities request if you see an issue that needs to be addressed. 
• HEPA air filtration units have been added to offices without HVAC building systems only. HVAC systems with MERV-13 filters are circulating fresh air 24 hours a day. 
• Staff and faculty in Memorial Hall who want to request a window air conditioner should make a Facilities request. Facilities will provide and install the unit, since the building doesn’t have central air conditioning.
• MnDOT has had the 25th Avenue bridge fully closed for several weeks after a truck struck one of the beams. MnDOT opened the north side to traffic but the southbound side will remain closed at least until mid-October. It will require a more significant repair. MnDOT apologizes for the inconvenience.

• All campus light bulbs are being replaced with energy-saving LED lights by the end of the year. Facilities will notify departments about a week ahead of time and share updates via A-mail. The cost savings was planned to pay for a needed replacement for the Edor Nelson Athletic Field dome. The new dome will be installed the first week in November.

Campus Meeting Space

• There’s a lot of demand for student organizations to meet, so Anderson 21 and Sverdrup 208 are being turned into meeting spaces. Anderson 21, in the residence hall’s basement, was used by McGough Construction as an office during the Hagfors Center construction and will be updated with paint, new carpet, and technology to become a meeting room. Sverdrup 208, the former Honors Lounge, also is being turned into a meeting space and painting has begun. Once the projects are complete, it will be communicated via A-mail and reservations can be made.

Return to Campus Updates: 

• Sanitization stands with hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are stationed at the front entrance of every building on the Minneapolis campus.
• What to know about cleaning office spaces.
• Consider returning to your office, lab, or classroom in advance of your scheduled return to review the spaces. We need your assistance in spotting and addressing repairs and maintenance that may be needed. Make a Facilities request if you see an issue that needs to be addressed. 
• HEPA air filtration units have been added to offices without HVAC building systems only. HVAC systems with MERV-13 filters are circulating fresh air 24 hours a day. 
• Staff and faculty in Memorial Hall who want to request a window air conditioner should make a Facilities request. Facilities will provide and install the unit, since the building doesn’t have central air conditioning.
• MnDOT has had the 25th Avenue bridge fully closed for several weeks after a truck struck one of the beams. MnDOT opened the north side to traffic this week but the southbound side will remain closed at least until mid-October. It will require a more significant repair. MnDOT apologizes for the inconvenience.