Seawater cooling system to help air conditioning at JABSOM

BOR approves other CIP/R&M projects at Mānoa and Hilo

KAHULUI, Hawaiʻi — At its meeting at Maui Community College, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) authorized an innovative program with the Board of Water Supply to use cool sea water pumped from deep wells to help run the air-conditioning system at the newly opened John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) in Kakaʻako. The project is expected to reduce the university‘s usage of electricity and save on operating costs. It will also reduce the use of Oʻahu‘s potable water and demonstrate and promote the use of deep-well seawater cooling systems. The project is estimated to save JABSOM approximately $100,000 annually.

In other actions, the Board authorized the administration to enter into construction contracts for the replacement of the cooling tower system and chilled water plant equipment at several buildings on the Mānoa campus (Watanabe, Kuykendall and Holmes Halls and the Marine Science Building). Most of the systems and equipment being replaced are at least 20-25 years old and have exceeded normal life expectancy.

Constructions contracts for other capital improvement and repair and maintenance projects approved by the BOR include:

· Completion of the electrical distribution system upgrade for the Mānoa campus;

· Renovation of the theater at UH-Hilo, which was originally constructed in 1969;

· Renovations to the library at UH-Hilo to improve air quality, replace the original flooring, and repaint the facility.

About the University of Hawaiʻi

Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state‘s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.