The Lone Figure at the Fence, the Generator Plant — The Major Equipment Arrives Plus a Look at the Co-Gen’s Control Room and Tunnels

The featured image is of a lone figure peering intently through the north construction fence during his lunch hour. The azure skies highlighted the Loma Linda University Medical Center cloverleaf towers to the right and the Adult Hospital tower on the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus. As the flags waved in the gentle breeze, the staccato sounds of the hammer blows of progress seemed muted as I snapped two photos of the man behind the surgical mask. After the brief encounter, which included a mention that the first generator had been set, we made our way to our appointed assignments. He headed toward his office, where he would take part in one meeting after the other in the Zoom Room, and I went on to my next photo assignment, the newly installed generator. By-the-way, the man behind the mask with hands in his pockets is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Loma Linda University Health Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, the man on whose shoulders the whole project along with the pandemic crises on campus rests. During our brief discussion along the north side security fence, Dr. Hart credited and praised his “very supportive, committed and talented staff” whose responsibilities now include working with him through the extraordinary challenges facing the institution.

When I left home Monday morning on May 11, 2020, I had a good idea how I would begin my rounds. I would first check out the east side of the project and photograph the rough grade progress of work being done on the east parking. I would then move around to the north side of the project to check photograph the progress on the Galleria and Entrance Canopy. Well, my plans changed as I neared the intersection of University Street and Barton Road when I spotted a crane’s boom rising in the distance north of the Adult Hospital tower. At first, I thought the crane might be associated with the University Church construction project. That Idea was scuttled when the cranes boom was positioned beyond Campus Street on which the University Church is located. When I rounded the corner of Barton Road and Anderson Street, I could see the boom of the crane and it was near the Co-generation plant and the Emergency Generator plant. Could it be, I wondered, are they installing the generators today? The answer would become apparent as I looked down Taylor Court. My plans for the week had changed. The Generator Plant would become my single focus for the week.

The Control Center in the Co-Gen Plant That Will Monitor and Kick In the Generators When and/if an Emergency Occurs

The Co-Gen plant’s control center will be crucial to the power sustainability of the new hospitals when they become operational. When an emergency occurs, the lights may flicker and with a flip of a switch on the control panel, power will be switched from the emergency generators and relayed to the hospitals on the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus.

Co-Gen Plant Equipment

The following images depict some of the equipment that are housed in the Co-Gen plant. To many, the nondescript, windowless power plant located in the center of the campus is an enigma. Very few people are seen entering or exiting the building, but the few who do run and maintain the power lifeline to the campus. The Loma Linda University campus produces its own power and on occasion the plant will sell electricity to a utility company.

The Tunnel From the Co-gen Plant to the New Hospitals

Yes Mable, there are tunnels under the Loma Linda University campus. The main tunnel entrance begins in the Co-gen plant and runs throughout the campus to all the buildings. The labyrinth goes under streets and to the buildings up the hill, the service buildings around the hill and the Drayson Center to the east. The purpose of this sections is to provide a glimpse of the utility tunnels crisscrossing the campus and to reveal the tunnel section that goes from the co-gen plant to the basement of the new hospital that is presently under construction. For safety and security reasons, I will not identify the various intersection routes that are featured in this segment.

To be Continued