Forrer renovations near completion, ending musical classrooms

Forrer has been fenced off for renovations most of the summer.

 by Anne W. Anderson
photos by Anne W. Anderson

Faculty and students moving back into the classrooms in Forrer over the next week or so will notice fresh paint on the walls. What they won't see is the new HVAC (heating-ventilation-air-conditioning) unit housed in the attic area above them.

Eckerd College Director of Facilities Management Jim Becsey said work in Forrer began within days of the 2016 May Commencement. Faculty moved books and furniture from their offices, and the floors and ceilings were removed. The 1960s-era HVAC unit, piping, and ductwork were removed, and new HVAC unit was installed.

Eckerd College Director of Facilities Management Jim Becsey

A state-of-the-art pressure sensor unit upstairs monitors the system, which will mean fewer maintenance interruptions during classes. All- new, insulated ductwork and piping adds to the efficiency of the system.

But the real savings is in the amount of potable or drinkable water saved each year.

"The old unit was a stand-alone, energy-consuming chiller," Becsey said during a walk through the building. "The new unit is connected to a chilled water loop from the James Center that also supplies the Sheen building."


The chilled water loop uses reclaimed water from the City of St. Petersburg's system -- one of the world's largest urban water reclamation systems -- and was part of what earned the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences a Silver LEED certification when it was built four years ago. The new HVAC unit not only draws water from the reclamation system located next to Eckerd College, it also returns the water to the reclamation system after it has cooled the hot air piped into the unit.

Becsey estimated the unit will save the College about $10,800 each year. The construction portion of the renovations were completed and the City of St. Petersburg's Building Department signed off on the inspections earlier in August.Then the staff was trained on how the controls work, and the rooms were painted. New vinyl tiling replaced the previously carpeted floors in the office areas and new blinds were installed.

New ductwork and piping fill the attic area;
the HVAC unit is at the east end.

Some asbestos abatement work was done due to the glue used to hold down the carpeting and in removing some of the piping insulation.

Becsey said faculty with offices in Forrer were able to move back in by August 19. Because PEL classes begin earlier than the residential classes, some PEL students and teachers played musical classrooms for the first couple of weeks of Fall 1, with classes being held in either Miller or Seibert before moving into Forrer.