25,000 feet of pipe laid in Oberlin College geothermal conversion

OBERLIN — The enormous trenches that were cut across the Oberlin College campus this summer will be filled in the coming weeks. That work marks the end of the first phase of a $140 million effort to switch to geothermal heating and cooling. About 25,000 linear feet of new pipe have been installed underground in the past several months, said Meghan Riesterer, assistant vice president of campus energy and sustainability. "We have hot water heating on campus now," she said Wednesday. So far, 13 buildings on the south side of the campus have been converted from the old steam-based heating system, which was falling apart. Riesterer said those buildings that have been changed over should be 30 percent more energy efficient this winter. Through the end of the year, conversion of campus buildings will wrap up, walkways and landscaping will be restored and new hot and chilled water piping systems will be tested, according to project managers. Since work started earlier this year, nearly 10 miles of trenches have been dug so old steam pipes could be removed and new lines could be run from geothermal wells. The 8-foot-deep channels will be filled within six weeks, and disrupted areas will be reseeded. The college also anticipates paving will soon wrap up on Professor and Elm streets, where digging has interrupted the traffic flow. Riesterer said Oberlin College is grateful to the community for enduring inconveniences caused by the project. There will be more in 2022 as the focus shifts to the northern end of campus. Residents can expect more road closures there, as well as the removal of additional trees. The college is replacing each tree removed with two new ones, she said. North-side buildings will be refitted to work with the new system, and about 1,100 shafts will be drilled down about 600 feet, where the temperature remains a constant. The entire geothermal project will take four years to complete. So far, it's on schedule and on budget, said Riesterer, despite supply chain shortages and cost increases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. When finished, the geothermal system will be a major step toward achieving a carbon-neutral campus, she said. Oberlin College is also undertaking a renovation inside the Mudd Center on the edge of Wilder Bowl. The A level is being converted to a student counseling and activity space, which involves a complete rebuild of the former Center for Information Technology spaces and changes to the lower courtyard. Concrete already is being removed from the plaza to make way for a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.