[May 27, 2012] Construction projects move forward at RCC Tweet May 27, 2012 (The Reidsville Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Rockingham Community College will be moving forward on various construction improvements across the campus, according to an update at last Tuesday's Board of Trustees Meeting. Dr. Tony Gunn, associate vice president for facilities and external affairs, said work is proceeding on the network hub installation, which was installed in the area across from the Humanities Building. He said some more equipment needs to be installed and it needs some additional wiring. The project is part of the MCNC (Microelectronics Center of North Carolina) project through the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative to provide a fiber network and last-mile consumer broadband needs in the region. More than two miles of the nature trail at RCC have been cleared, Gunn said, although some work still needs to be done in order to get it in shape. "Nearly 1.5 miles of the trail is new, but in a lot of areas, we need to add some bridges and steps," he said. The college received a grant from the Reidsville Area Foundation to move forward with the project. Gunn also updated trustees on a recent energy assessment conducted by the state energy office. It was through a federal grant from North Carolina State University to survey all 58 community colleges in North Carolina with a goal to reduce energy. The potential energy reduction to RCC is 38 percent or an avoidance of $146,000 per year, according to the report's findings. The college currently has energy expenditures of $381,803 annually. During 2010-2011, RCC consumed 59 kBTU per square foot of space, on average, which is 22 percent below an average of 75.5 kBTU for comparable educational facilities in the southeastern United States. If all energy recommendations were implemented by RCC, consumption is expected to drop to 37 kBTU. Recommendations include instituting a policy to regulate the number of space heaters, coffee pots, fans, etc., that are allowed, setting computers to sleep or shutdown mode when not in use and converting gym lights from metal halide to fluorescent, which Gunn said has already started. Other recommendations include turning off lights in the parking lots after hours and installing low-flow aerators on faucets. "Looking through all the recommendation and reports, these are feasible and practical things we can do," Gunn said. RCC President Michael Helmick also updated trustees on $750,000 in funding they requested from the county in order to remodel the chemistry lab. He said the county manager and finance officer are very agreeable to the project and are working to find sufficient ways to finance the project. "If we can be aggressive, we may be able to get into the chemistry lab in late spring 2013," he said. "The lab is the original 41-year-old lab....We may be able to start work on that over the Christmas holiday." ___ (c)2012 The Reidsville Review (Reidsville, N.C.) Visit The Reidsville Review (Reidsville, N.C.) at www.reidsvillereview.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]