Feeling the heat while staying cool in the Smith Center
Improvements made to service awards program
UMDP interest meetings set
Star Heels
Feeling the heat while staying cool in the Smith Center
You’re supposed to feel the heat of competition when you’re
in the Dean E. Smith Center.
But there’s another type of heat that has to be kept under
control. With fluctuating, unpredictable weather and enthusiastic crowds, it
would be easy for temperatures inside the building to become uncomfortable,
maybe even hot enough to cancel a game.
This isn’t something the average sports fan thinks about in
the middle of a nail-biter,
probably because the employees of the
University’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Controls Shop
work to ensure a safe, comfortable environment for both spectators and players.
These staff members are responsible for the heating and
cooling of every inch of the 300,000-square-foot Smith Center. Their work takes
them to places in the building that former coach Dean Smith most likely has
never seen — from the rafters, to a maze of corridors in the mechanical
rooms, to crawling through air conditioning ducts.
When HVAC technician Tommy Anderson says he works at the
‘Dean Dome,’ he literally means at the dome. Dampers, located at the peak of
the prominent white dome 140 feet above the court, are opened during halftime
to release the hot air that rises during the game.
-- Photo by Brandon Thomas |
Tim Burke is the primary HVAC technician assigned to the
Smith Center, and his efforts to ensure that all components of the HVAC system
function properly is reflected in improved indoor air quality, cost and
energy savings.
Eight massive, 100-horsepower axial flow fans with enormous
‘propellers’ circulate air throughout the arena to heat and cool it. For many
winter events, outside air is used for free cooling, but in warm weather
— and when an unusually large crowd is expected —
chilled water is used to cool the air.
How to heat or cool the building has to be determined well
in advance of an event. This decision can affect whether a game can even take
place in the Smith Center. It also takes time to pre-cool the arena so it is
the right temperature when spectators arrive.
“You can’t catch up if things get out of control,” Burke
said, so he is on site at every game to monitor the HVAC system and address any
glitches that might occur.
A team effort
It is only a rumor that UNC gets an edge over opponents by
ensuring that the visitor’s locker room and bench stay cold and drafty. In
reality, the staff does everything possible to make visiting teams feel
comfortable, including adjusting temperatures to their request.
While the HVAC staff may not be in the limelight, their work
is
appreciated by one very distinguished fan.
“The Smith Center is one of the best venues for college
basketball, but it is a huge building and takes many talented behind-the-scenes
people to make it operate,” said men’s basketball Coach Roy Williams. “From the
maintenance staff to games operations and the crew that keeps the building
comfortable for fans, players and coaches alike, it’s a great team effort.
We’re lucky to have good people who care about what they do.”
HVAC technician Tim Burke points to where his team sealed
pipe penetrations inside an air duct. By resolving hundreds of these small
issues in the Smith Center, Burke has helped ensure that the HVAC system will
function at full capacity and efficiency.
-- Photo by Brandon Thomas |
Maximum efficiency
HVAC technology is based on the principles of
thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer — all of which are
controlled by software
systems — so it takes highly
skilled technicians to understand, operate, maintain and repair the systems and
equipment. A properly functioning and maintained system can result in monetary
and environmental savings for
the University.
The University’s HVAC systems account for approximately 60
percent of energy
consumption on campus, so energy savings at the Smith Center can have a
substantial impact on overall energy consumption.
Because a clean air handler can run up to 25 percent more
efficiently, Burke makes sure that each piece of equipment and all
related parts are free from dirt or other
debris. With the size of the facility — and the size and power of the
mechanical equipment needed to heat and cool it — this is no small task.
The system is exposed to dust, lint, particles, microbes, smoke from concert
pyrotechnics and other pollutants such as mold and airborne bacteria on a daily
basis.
Ensuring that air doesn’t leak through any cracks, gaps or
openings is another challenge.
Mark Obenshain, assistant director for HVAC operations, said
that the energy savings for sealing one air leak is like turning off a light
bulb. Although a small effort, initiatives such as these, when replicated
throughout a major building like the Smith Center, add up to significant
savings for
the University.
Editor’s Note: This article was contributed by Brandon Thomas of Facilities
Services.
Improvements made to service awards program
Carolina’s service awards program was recently upgraded to
include new awards and events for the University’s employees with long-term
service.
“We are making changes to the service awards program because
we realize the gifts that our
employees give to us in coming to Carolina each day to make their individual
contributions,” said Brenda Malone, associate vice chancellor for
human resources. “Each employee leaves a personal,
indelible mark on this institution.”
Changes are already being instituted by the Employee
Services Department in the Office of Human Resources, which administers the
service awards programs.
With the beginning of the new fiscal year,
employees reaching anniversaries of five, 10 and 15 years of state service will
receive personalized certificates in presentation folders, along with new gifts
for 10 and 15 years of service. Employees reaching their 10-year anniversary
will receive a lapel pin with the interlocking NC logo; those achieving
15 years of service will receive a glass paperweight with an inset pewter
University seal.
The annual Service Appreciation Banquet, which inducts
employees reaching 20 years of state service into the Carolina Twenty-Year
Society, will continue. This formal dinner includes
a special guest speaker each year, and concludes with the chancellor presenting
an engraved plaque to each employee.
The Service Appreciation Reception, held last month, is a
relatively new event to honor employees with 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of
service. Past iterations of this event had consisted of more casual events;
this year, the function became a more formal reception, with new gifts,
including a glass award with the years of service and the University logo
etched into its surface. Feedback from this now-annual event was positive.
“I loved the award for my 25 years of service,” said Paula
Davis, mapping manager in Engineering
Information Services, Facilities Services. “It was also very inspiring to have
all the long-service
employees celebrating together.”
Alvis Page, a mail clerk in anesthesiology, marked his 45th
year of service at the event. “The University does a great job to recognize
anniversaries,” he said, noting the times he has seen the 20-year plaques
proudly displayed in colleagues’ homes.
Employee Services welcomes feedback about the changes to the
program, Malone said. Employees should e-mail comments to employee_services@unc.edu.
“To honor the talent and spirit that each Carolina employee
brings to the University, we
believe that we need to create opportunities to fully acknowledge, appreciate
and celebrate them,”
Malone said.
(Top) Richard Ellington, left, from ITS and Doris Murrell
from TEACCH
celebrate their 40 years of service at the Service Appreciation Reception. The
event, which celebrated employees reaching 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of
service,
was held on June 11 at the Carolina Inn. -- Photo by Julie Turkewitz
(Below) Employees received etched glass
tabletop awards with their years of service prominently displayed. Individual
certificates in embossed presentation folders were also given.
|
UMDP interest meetings set
Thinking about applying to the
University Management Development Program (UMDP) for 2009?
UMDP interest meetings will be held on the following days:
July 28, noon – 1 p.m., Dey Hall’s Toy Lounge; and
Aug. 14, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., Room 1500-A, Administrative
Office Building.
Attendance is not required to apply to the program; however,
the topics
covered will include the program scope, requirements for admission and a
question-and-answer session.
UMDP is a 10-month professional development program designed
for
university managers and supervisors. Up to 40 participants (35 from Carolina
and five from N.C. Central University) are selected annually, through
application, to attend the program.
Applications for the 2009 program will be accepted through
Aug. 29. The application form is online (hr.unc.edu/formfinder/forms-training/umdp-new).
For questions about the UMDP program or the interest
meeting, contact Holly Tiemann (holly_tiemann@unc.edu or 962-9682).
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