When the Citadel planned for renovations to Capers Hall, they had originally scheduled a reconstruction of a different kind. There had been a building replacement plan on the books for several years. The 52-year-old building has seen much good use since being built as a classroom facility in 1958. The building even shows up in blogs from alumni who recall how hot it was back in the day when Capers Hall wasn't air-conditioned.

DWG, Inc. engineers were tapped for the task of putting together a plan that would permit a total HVAC replacement of chilled water air handling units, chiller, variable air volume (VAV) box replacement, associated duct work, piping and an energy efficient lighting retrofit...all during the summer break.

The job was put out to bid and Charleston's Envirotrol SC provided a competitive price and was selected to perform the nearly one million dollar renovations project. From day one, Mark Uyak, Project Manager for DWG, James Grigg, Facility Engineer for the Citadel, and Jeff Collier, Project Manager for Envirotrol, did not have failure as an option. They worked as a team with a single mission: To complete the project on time, in budget and ready to open the doors for Fall Semester.

From the beginning, Envirotrol's Operations Manager Jeff Collier had confidence in Envirotrol's capability to meet the demanding schedule. As a former facility engineer for manufacturing facilities in the southeast, Jeff knew the importance of deadline management and how to schedule the manpower and materials to meet it. In industrial manufacturing, "days mean dollars" and that affects the bottom line. In this construction environment, days countdown to the beginning of the school year for the Citadel Cadets and its staff. In Jeff's mind, that was the same thing.

In May, demolition continued nearly around the clock from day one. Ceiling grid was taken down and disposed of and the existing system of ductwork, hot water piping, air handling units and other equipment was headed toward recyclers. It was important that as much of the demoed items were sent to recyclers as possible to protect the environment, and recycled metal pays back into the job.

“Ninety percent of our labor force was from the Charleston area.” said Jeff Farlow, President of Envirotrol SC. “Charleston has a great number of skilled tradesmen that are capable of excellent work. The fact that we were able to put so many of them to work, that were otherwise not employed at the time, is a great source of pride for us.” At times, Envirotrol SC had 40 people at work on the job.

In addition to the work at the Citadel, Envirotrol SC continued work on projects at Trident Technical College, MUSC and other facilities throughout the Charleston area. Through the hot, summer months, without air conditioning, the workers installed the equipment and finally the day came for turnover to the owner. With a new HVAC system, new ceiling tiles in the corridors and a good cleanup, Capers Hall was ready for her debut and was delivered to the owner on the very day marked as the day of completion in the contract.

“We as a team are proud of the work that we do, and of the completed project at the Citadel. There is a quality workforce of skilled laborers and contractors that are able to produce outstanding results for construction in the Charleston area. We are excited to be a part of the growth and economic prosperity that is coming to our part of the country.” - Jeff Farlow