Douglas Hall lights up

By Kelly Blaine

Things are looking brighter in Douglas Hall these days.

Replacement of old incandescent lights with fluorescent bulbs and new fixtures started in Douglas Hall last week, and similar work will begin soon in Lincoln Hall.

Lights in the hallways, stairwells and bathroom shower areas have been changed.

The old lights were yellowed with age and their covers were separating from their bases, said Sheryl Mullis, area coordinator for the Lincoln/Douglas area.

The project has been in the design stage for some time. Drawings for the fixtures began last fall, and company bidding began in October.

NIU was looking for fixtures that were attractive, durable and that had a reasonable price, said Ron Beldon, an NIU energy engineer who was in charge of taking bids.

A state law requires the university to have three bidders for such work. The lowest bid came from Special Power, a Rockford company, and the project will cost NIU $135,688 for both buildings.

Mullis said this is a capital budget project and that the money used was allocated specifically for this work. The estimated payback for the project is less than two years, Beldon said.

An added benefit of the new lights will be the saving of energy and maintenance costs.

“The fluorescent lights use 30 percent of the electrical energy of the old incandescent system and the bulbs last five times longer,” Beldon said.

Residents of Douglas Hall have mixed feelings about the project, however.

“I think they make the floor look like an institution,” said Nicole Freim, a sophomore theater/English major.

“The old lights made it look more like home,” said junior computer science major Andrew Frielink.

On the positive side, freshman pre-business major Jennifer Floyd said, “The new lights take away the dungeon-like atmosphere.”

“They make the halls look friendly and less dingy,” said Huntsman Manning, a senior sociology major.

One resident assistant said the lights may not be used too much because of their brightness.

“They’re good in that they use less energy than the other ones do, I just wish that they were dimmer,” said Chris Kosin, a freshman business major.

umors that the lights will be installed in the rooms were squelched by Mullis.

“Room renovations will hopefully take place in the future, but it (putting new lights into the rooms) is not a part of this project,” she said.

Other light replacements have been mentioned. Upon completion of internal work, the pole lighting outside the buildings will be enhanced.

The outdoor incandescent lights, along with some of the mercury vapor lights, will be replaced with high-pressure sodium lighting. Along with increased illumination, the new lights will have higher efficiency and will use 50 percent less energy.

Mullis also mentioned that new lights will be installed in the Douglas C/D lower lounge for study purposes. The fixtures are in stock now, and the project will be done by NIU electricians.