Heating plant constructin to disrupt trees
Construction of tunnels for a new heating plant for the Utah State University campus will begin next week with the relocation of 14 maple trees along the walkway between the Spectrum and the HPER building, said Landscape Manager Ellen Newell.
“As part of the project, a lot of trees will come down,” Newell said. “Economically, it is borderline, but if we can save the trees we will.”
A tree digger will move each tree and replant it immediately, Newell said. Darrell Hart, assistant vice president for Facilities Management, said the trees will be planted by the new soccer field off 1400 North. The trees, Newell said, were donated several years ago and will be monitored for a year to make sure they survive.
He said this time of year is good for moving trees.
“You move trees when they are dormant so there is no water loss,” he said.
Two additional trees along the walkway cannot be saved because they are over utility lines, Newell said. A landscape architect will decide which trees can be saved along other sections of the tunnel route, Newell said.
“On the rest of the tunnel routes we have a few trees we can move,” Newell said. “Unfortunately, most will come out.”
Hart said the concrete tunnels will be 10 feet deep and 9 and one-half feet wide and will run from the heating plant north of the Spectrum along the walkway to the Geology building. Several houses owned by the university were located on the lot for the new heating plant.
“We tried to sell them all and were successful with all but one,” Hart said.
Newell said two of the houses were purchased by private bidders and have since been relocated. The Heritage House has been moved to the Jenson Historical Farm, Newell said.
Hart said the remaining house was too old to be moved and will be bulldozed by the contractor responsible for building the heating plant.
“The contractor should begin as soon as they can. It depends on the weather,” Hart said.
“We are doing everything possible to avoid inconvenience, although it will happen,” Newell said. “It will be disruptive this summer.”
The walkway will be blocked from use by students and some utility outages will occur, Newell said.
Hart said, “There will be some utility outages that are scheduled and some unscheduled. It is going to be very disruptive and we are trying to minimize that.”
As a result of the construction, the graduation route will also be changed from the traditional route from the Quad to the walkway past the HPER building to 800 East past the fraternity houses, Newell said. Hart said the tunnels on the central part of campus should be completed by late fall.
“This is really a two-year project that we are trying to squeeze into one year,” Hart said. “Some of the periphery work will be done the following year.”
Newell said as a result of current heating pipes leaking, several trees on campus have been lost. The leaks have also killed grass.
“Once done, we will have to dig up campus less often,” Newell said. “And we will have new landscaping to enhance the look of campus in the future.
But she said an important consideration has been the protection of trees.
“Students and the public need to understand the people making decisions care and know about trees,” she said.