Old Main and Erlanson Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Superior will be moved temporarily during the winter break.
Both buildings are scheduled for electrical upgrades that will force the university to close 30 offices and move them to locations around the campus. The move starts Tuesday. The offices should be restored in the buildings by Jan. 15, in time for students returning for the spring semester.
Contractors are installing new electrical equipment for both buildings, and electricity in both will be shut off during the four-week project.
Major upgrades will be completed in Old Main, where some of the equipment is obsolete, said Tom Fennessey, director of facilities management. All the Old Main components will be upgraded and an emergency generator will be added to protect equipment during power outages, he said.
Old Main is the hub for campus computer and phone equipment.
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"This is a proactive approach for updating before we have a catastrophic failure," Fennessey said.
"It's a good thing for the university because we know that equipment is new and going to last for many, many years," Fennessey said.
Only minor upgrades are required in Erlanson Hall, but since the building's electrical system is tied into Old Main, it will shut down as well.
All the systems housed in Old Main, including servers, phones and the Internet, will be up and running during the project. It shouldn't interrupt normal activity.
The offices will remain accessible to students and others throughout the project, and faculty and staff will still be available at their normal telephone numbers.
Visiting the offices, however, will be a bit more confusing. The admissions, human resources and registrar's offices will be located temporarily in Jim Dan Hill Library. The business and financial aid offices will be in the Health & Wellness Center and the Chancellor's office will be in McCaskill Hall.
For a list of offices and their temporary locations, visit the UW-Superior Web site at www.uwsuper-
.edu/news.
