(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By rdnewsNOW staff

provincial funding

$13M in upgrades underway at RDC

Jun 15, 2021 | 2:45 PM

$13 million in capital maintenance work is underway at Red Deer College.

The college has been able to upgrade roofing, mechanical control systems, and lighting.

Over the past 12 months, RDC received $10.8 million in maintenance funding from the provincial government. Officials say the additional $2.2 million is from previous government grants, which have been repurposed for the roofing project.

“I am very thankful for the Government’s commitment to enhancing teaching, learning, and working spaces at RDC through the Alberta Advanced Education Capital Grant and Capital Maintenance and Renewal Program,” says Dr. Peter Nunoda, RDC President. “As we look towards our future as a modern polytechnic institution, these improvements will help us to better serve our students and communities with an on-going commitment to sustainability.”

The roof of RDC’s Four Centres, which is a hub for innovation and creativity, is currently being replaced with a multi-ply roof membrane system. These upgrades will enhance several related building components. With a solidified barrier to all kinds of weather and increased insulation capacity, this project will reduce heat loss and utility costs. This roof replacement is expected to be completed in September 2021.

amends not made: lacombe pride

Campaign on to reinstate Lacombe-Ponoka MLA booted from UCP caucus for transphobic comments

2h ago

"overreach"

Red Deer and Red Deer County mayors perplexed over rationale of proposed Bill 20

6h ago

Phase 2 upgrades at Dickson Dam to begin this year

7h ago

Sections of the roof on RDC’s west-end of campus were replaced in April, upgrading the insulation and air vapour barrier systems. These improvements help facilitate a more comfortable environment for students, employees, and guests in this area. In addition, it is expected that these enhancements will contribute to RDC’s environmental stewardship, reducing energy usage and expenditures.

The modernization of RDC’s mechanical control system, which operates the major mechanical heating, ventilating and cooling systems on campus, is also underway. This will allow the college to transition from manual control to a more advanced centralized system through using modern software, increasing the ease and ability to better control these systems while reducing energy demands and costs.

RDC says it continues to replace inefficient interior and exterior light fixtures across campus with LED lighting, increasing the lifespan of the lights which conserves energy and reduces ongoing replacement costs. These changes have also resulted in a brighter learning environment and improved visibility on campus. Currently, RDC has converted about two-thirds of its campus to LED lighting.

“While all of these projects at the College will result in long-term operational savings, they also will contribute to RDC’s Green Energy Master Plan, which aims to reduce our overall carbon footprint to net zero during the next two decades,” says Jim Brinkhurst, RDC Vice President College Services.

In addition, these projects provide RDC with the opportunity to employ, and collaborate with, several central Alberta businesses.

“This is especially valuable as our region helps to reignite the economy,” says Nunoda. “The entire College community will benefit from the workers’ expertise, and the positive impact will be felt in the region for many years to come.”

College officials say the four projects will create more than 11,800 hours of labour for local companies and their employees.