[216] Power outage planned for some MTSU buildings in new year

FOR RELEASE: Dec. 26, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Media Relations, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO — A scheduled power outage for some campus buildings at MTSU will mean a quiet start for the new year beginning Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Thirty MTSU buildings and the eight houses on Greek Row will have no electricity during business hours Jan. 2-3 when university offices reopen after winter break.

Utility crews will be repairing electrical equipment damage from a November electrical fault and continuing work on the university’s underground electrical project.

Friday, Jan. 4, also will be reserved for power outages in case of adverse weather conditions on one of the other days. 

Power to each of the buildings will be turned off at 7 a.m. each day and turned back on at 5 p.m.

MTSU’s public radio station, WMOT-FM 89.5, will continue to broadcast during the outage. MTSU email, websites and voicemail also will be operational. Buildings without power will not have Wi-Fi access until electricity is restored.

Visitors who plan a stop at offices in the affected buildings should call or email in advance for schedule information, officials said.

All university offices are scheduled to resume regular operating hours at 8 a.m. Jan. 2 after a nine-day holiday break. Spring 2013 semester classes begin Jan. 17.

Buildings to be affected during the two-day power outage are:

·       Abernathy and Ezell Halls; Alumni Memorial Gym; the Bragg Mass Communication Building; the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building; the Center for Dyslexia; Deere and Nicks Halls; the Ellington Human Sciences Building and Annex; Greek Row;

·       the James Union Building; the Lyon and Monohan Complexes; the Natatorium; the new Student Union Building; the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building; Project Help; Rutledge Hall; Sims and Smith Halls; the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center, including Campus Recreation and Student Health Services;

·       the Tom Jackson Building; the James E. Walker Library; Wansley House/Internal Audit Office; Wassom House/Budget Office; Womack Lane Apartments; the Wright Music Building; and the Wood-Stegall Center.

The Cope Administration Building also will be affected but will be operating on generator power. The campus will be notified when repairs are complete and regular electric service is restored.

The James E. Walker Library will be closed Jan. 2-4 because of the planned power outage and personnel will be temporarily relocated, officials said. All electronic resources, including databases, e-journals and e-books, will also be offline Jan. 2-4.

A list of other offices that have announced temporary office locations is available at http://mtsunews.com/jan-2013-power-outage.

MTSU officials said the dates were chosen because most faculty and students will not be on campus. The dates also are the first time Murfreesboro Electric Department utility crews will be available due to the holidays and their involvement in power-line repairs in the Northeast after Hurricane Sandy. 

MTSU lost power campuswide for much of the day Nov. 5 after a squirrel caused a transformer malfunction. A scheduled power outage during the week after spring 2012 commencement shut buildings down in phases May 9 and 10 to continue an electrical project that will ultimately remove all overhead power lines from campus.

For more information about the scheduled power outage, contact MTSU’s Construction Administration Office at 615-898-2967.

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