(Santa Ana, CA)—SantaAna College (SAC) will host a groundbreaking ceremony for its Central Plant and Utility Infrastructure project on Tuesday, November 3 at 12:00 noon. The groundbreaking will take place near Parking Lot 9, between the SAC tennis courts and baseball field, on the college campus located at 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, CA, 92706.
“The construction of the new Central Plant and Utility Infrastructure marks a milestone for Santa Ana College,” said Santa Ana College President Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D. “As we celebrate our centennial, Measure Q is helping us move into a new era of energy efficiency. We are grateful to the local voters who approved this $198 million general obligation bond to renovate and construct new facilities at Santa Ana College. There are more to come!”
The construction of a new 23,685-square-foot Central Plant and replacement of the college’s underground utility infrastructure will improve energy efficiency at SAC. The college has about 614,00 gross square footage (GSF) of buildings that are not connected to a central chilled water system, but operate on standalone HVAC systems. This project will convert seven of the buildings, approximately 250,000 GSF, to a centralized chilled water system with thermal energy storage (TES), which will improve campus energy efficiency. This new system will also reduce the campus peak electrical demand by shifting to off-peak periods.
The Central Plant and ice thermal energy storage (TES) system consists of two 600-ton water-cooled chillers, glycol pumps, chilled water/glycol heat exchanger, site distribution pumps and cooling tower, condenser water pumps, distribution piping and connection to seven buildings. In addition, the project includes underground piping to allow for future expansion to other buildings as funding becomes available. The project also includes a dedicated building and mechanical yard as well as a new electrical building, new utilities, and HVAC upgrades for seven buildings.
With these collective improvements, SAC can expect to reduce its electrical consumption by 2,102,780 kWh per year. Over 20 years, the estimated savings in costs for energy, gas and maintenance/operations is estimated in excess of $9 million.
The project was designed by Westberg + White, Inc., and will be constructed by McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. The project, which should be completed by winter 2017, is funded by Measure Q, a $198 million general obligation bond approved by voters in November 2012 for renovation, repair and construction at Santa Ana College.
For more information about the Groundbreaking Ceremony, call (714) 564-6975 or email vega_kennethia@sac.edu. To know more about Measure Q, visit www.rsccd.edu/MeasureQ.
About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which is turning 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more. For information about Santa Ana College’s Centennial, please visit www.sac.edu/100.
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