Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

speakup

SAINT JOHN - Out with the pink and in with the blue. Cabinets, that is.

Noel Chenier/Telegraph-JournalThe Brunswick Square complex and Delta Brunswick hotel will be off limits to the public for 28 hours to allow for a $1.5-million electrical upgrade. The complex will close at 5:30 p.m. today and the lights are to go out at 8 p.m. tonight.

The general manager of the Brunswick Square, which includes the Delta Brunswick hotel and office tower, says the $1.5-million upgrade that will shut the complex down for 28 hours includes the colour shift of the cabinets that contain the state-of-the-art million-dollar electrical switching gear.

"Thirty years ago they were pink and now they're blue," Paulette Hicks said about the cabinets that contain the electrical equipment.

The complex will close at 5:30 p.m. today and the lights are scheduled to go out at 8 p.m. Crews will work straight through to get the electrical upgrade done so the complex can open for business on Saturday morning. The current switching gear, which directs and controls the power that comes from the hydro lines and into the complex, is three decades old.

"This is a proactive project to replace the equipment before it becomes troublesome," said Hicks.

A power outage that left the complex in the black in 2006 was the catalyst for the upgrade.

"We'll be better able to monitor the power use in the overall complex," said Hicks.

The logistics of the operation are no walk in the park. The Delta Brunswick will relocate all its guests to other city hotels for the 28-hour period of the outage and will move all food items from the hotel, stores and restaurants into two refrigerator and freezer tractor-trailers.

"This is a major energy upgrade and we had to plot this out carefully and we know there is some impact and inconvenience, both even to the uptown area and to our customers and to our hotel guests," Hicks said.

The 254-room hotel has never been closed before in its 26-year history. Traditionally, said Hicks, Easter weekend is one of the slowest times at the hotel and there are only 17 guests that have to be told there's no power at the inn.

The mall does have its own backup power that will be operating during the outage.

Hicks said the equipment was custom made to suit the complex and takes up a tractor-trailer.

Saint John Energy workers will also be on hand.

Beyond the expected army of electricians taking part, the equipment being installed is so massive it requires a specialized company to move it off the trucks and into its new home.

"The equipment is huge," Hicks said. "It's amazing the project that we're doing.