CC students return to made-over student center

As Colorado College students return to campus, they'll notice a lot of changes when they walk inside Worner Campus Center.

Construction crews spent 84 days this summer working on a $9 million renovation of the campus hub near downtown Colorado SpringsThe center's roof now holds the largest solar array at the college. The first, installed in 2008 on top of a residential building, was instigated by students. A year later, then-Colorado College President Dick Celeste signed a climate pact promising to make the school more environmentally-friendly.The college decided to do more, Wise said. The $6 million for the rest of the changes came out of the fund that covers all the renovation projects at the school.In about 19 years the panels on Worner will have paid for themselves. The college expects other improvements to show similar cost savings, including lighting and roof insulation.The last time the 52-year-old building went through significant changes was during a 1988 expansion.Construction crews worked double shifts to complete the project in time. Classes resume Monday.The Worner Campus Center project is the most recent in a string of projects. Each time, the goal is to reduce energy use by 30 percent, Wise said.The kitchen was gutted and new equipment purchased for the renovated space."The main goal of the project was to reduce energy use by 30 percent," said William Wise, Colorado College facilities services building trades manager. He's confident that goal was reached.There are obvious things, like new paint on the walls and more meeting spaces in the building where students eat, study and relax. Rastall Dining Hall is redone, as is the cafe.Then there are less obvious improvements.When Colorado College signed a new food service contract with Bon Appetit, the company offered $3 million in improvements for a new kitchen and updated equipment.Every light in the building was replaced with a more efficient fixture. A 144-panel solar array was installed on the roof. Seven cooling and heating units - some dating to when the building first opened - were replaced with five more efficient ones.-The building got new water-saving toilets and a dishwasher that's touted as the greenest one in the state in terms of energy and water use, said Leslie Weddell, college news director.Contact the writer at 636-0162.The solar panels will contribute about 4 percent of the electricity needed for the building, saving about $3,800 a year."There was a very narrow window," Wise said. "Otherwise we're feeding 2,000 students three meals a day somewhere else.""Oh my God, Worner is so new," one student said when walking into the building Friday.

Contact the writer at 636-0162.