Oklahoma Memorial Union will be without air conditioning or heating today as engineers replace the air-handling units in Beaird Lounge and the union bookstore.
"The units were old and inefficient, so it was hard to keep those rooms comfortable when there were lots of people there," said Laura Tontz, director of the union.
The units, which were installed in the 1940s, created complications with the replacement process by being so old, Tontz said.
Because the units are old, their valves can't shut out water or steam from the physical plant, which are used to cool or heat the union, she said.
OU Physical Plant doesn't have the ability to shut off water or steam flow to specific rooms in the union, so it has to shut off the flow to the entire building in order to do the upgrading.
"We use the chilled water from the physical plant to cool the building, so with the weather expected to be warm (Monday), it will probably be uncomfortable in (the union)," Tontz said.
Tontz said that fortunately, the replacement is expected to be finished today. The union should be fully air-conditioned and back to normal on Tuesday, she said.
She said she hopes it is not too inconvenient, but suggests students still come to the union for lunch and then eat outside.
"It's supposed to be a beautiful day and at least then they can enjoy the weather," she said.
Administrators chose November as a good time to schedule the replacements because they assumed the weather would be cooler and the lack of air conditioning wouldn't be a problem. They originally thought the air or heat would be turned off only in the two rooms receiving the upgrades.
"We've been planning this for a while," Tontz said. "I've been saving up money, and we've been waiting for the right time."
Similar to making home repairs, planning for such an upgrade takes months and sometimes years, she said.
"We're excited about the upgrades, but there's other rooms that also need replacements," Tontz said.
She said that those projects will also take more time and money before they can be completed.
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