FARMINGTON — Ben Pratt said this summer’s geothermal project at the University of Maine is “progressing well.”
A total of 80 geothermal wells are done, Pratt, director of facilities management at UMF, said Thursday. Seventy-nine wells were drilled this summer and connected to a test well there, making a total of 80, he said.
The wells under Mantor Green will provide heating and cooling for Preble Hall, Thomas Auditorium, Ricker Hall and Ricker Addition, he said.
The project began May 19, the day after graduation, with expectations for an Aug. 30 finish, the day before classes start.
A few mechanical breakdowns and lots of rain did not deter the work done by a Skillings and Son from New Hampshire.
“They worked in all Mother Nature provided except thunder and lightning,” he said.
Expected South Street closures this summer were kept to just one day, although one or two more days of closures are anticipated this month.
Once excavation work is completed and the quad is leveled and covered with loam, sod will be brought in and installed, he said.
South Street is expected to be closed to traffic on Aug. 19 and maybe the following day, he added.
The project is moving into a testing phase. The in-ground wells have all been tested, but there’s a water hydraulic testing needed for each building before the project is accepted, he said.
A mechanical connection to Preble Hall isn’t quite ready. The pipes, pumps and lines are in the other buildings and ready for testing. Ranor Mechanical of Jay is doing the mechanical work.
A few holes remained on the earth-covered quad Thursday, while Dave Ware of Ranger Contracting of Winslow tested ground elevations around the 32,000-square-foot quad and dump trucks hauled in loam.
With Preble, Thomas and Ricker buildings ready for geothermal heating this year, the university is expected to save 27,000 gallons of fuel, Pratt said this past spring. After phasing in the library, computer center and three buildings on Main Street, a savings of 70,000 gallons of fuel is expected annually.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- Dave Ware of Ranger Contracting in Winslow measures ground elevations Thursday on Mantor Green at the University of Maine at Farmington. The geothermal wells are in and the green is ready for landscaping. A laser beam from his truck to the stick Ware holds measures the ground elevations.
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- Dave Ware of Ranger Contracting in Winslow measures ground elevations Thursday on Mantor Green at the University of Maine at Farmington. The geothermal wells are in and the green is ready for landscaping. A laser beam from his truck to the stick Ware holds measures the ground elevations.
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- Dave Ware of Ranger Contracting in Winslow walks across Mantor Green at the University of Maine at Farmington on Thursday to measure ground elevations. The geothermal wells are in and the green is being prepared for loam and sod.
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