San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center

Project Titles:

Rehabilitate Office/Lab Building (FFS #R2PW)
Rehabilitate McCarty Well Pump House (FFS #R2PX)
Rehabilitate Shop Electrical System (FFS #R2PY)
Construct Holding House Fence (FFS #R2PZ)
Energy Efficiency Project (FFS #R2QA)
Add Office Space onto Greenhouse (FFS #R2RA)
Repair Wasteways Waste Water Drain (FFS #R2RD)

State: Texas

Project Description: San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center (Center) in Hays County, Texas will utilize Recovery Act funds for seven projects.

Many of the projects will upgrade the infrastructure and facilities of the Center. For example, the first project will replace the current air sourced heating and cooling system in the office/laboratory building with six water-sourced units while another project will rehabilitate the shop building to bring the electrical system up to code. Another infrastructure project will repair a waste-water drain line which is currently not working.

Some of the projects at San Marcos will increase security and safety and the remote hatchery. One project will increase security measures at the McCarty well pump house while another project will install chain-link fencing around the driveway, which sits atop a steep embankment. The new fencing will prevent anyone from accidentally going over the drop off.

While the heating and cooling system will upgrade the center’s facilities it will also help reduce its carbon footprint. The Center will undertake another green project by replacing old single-paned windows and doors as well as installing more energy-efficient lights in three of its buildings.

The largest of the seven projects at San Marcos will add office and storage space plus three new research bays onto the current greenhouse which is used to cultivate and conduct research on the endangered Texas wild rice.

June 2010 Project Update: Most of the seven projects at San Marcos NFH&TC are now underway and in various states of completion, with the McCarthy Well Pump House project being the furthest along. The exhaust system and its louvers and dampers have been installed but not connected. Some painting and wiring must also be finished for project completion. Hatchery manager Dr. Tom Brandt estimates that the project is “about 95% complete,” and expects termination in early July.

The office/laboratory rehabilitation is now about 45% complete as the demolition of the old HVAC system has taken place. The new heating/cooling system is now being installed, and the energy efficient lighting has been installed but cannot be utilized until the overhaul of the shop’s electrical system. Some inefficient windows and doors have been replaced by energy saving counterparts, and retrofitting should be done by the end of July.

Installations of the chain-link fence and Pump House security measures, and repair of the damaged drainline have yet to begin.

October 2010 Project Update: The majority of the projects at San Marcos are now complete. The greenhouse wastewater drain line repair and additional office and storage space was completed by SK Quality Custom Building Inc. of San Antonio, Texas in July 2010 and the McCarty well pump house was completed in August 2010 by Kimrick Performance Group of Houston, Texas. Seneca Construction of Killeen, Texas finished upgrades and rehabilitation to the shop building’s electrical system and installed energy efficient lighting fixtures.

The rehabilitation of the office/laboratory by Seneca Construction is near completion after a delay related to the heat exchanger. San Marcos Center Director Thomas Brandt says he expects the rehabilitation to be completed by mid-November. The fencing project by SK Quality Custom Building has yet to begin but should be completed by late December 2010.

May 2011 Project Update: San Marcos Center Director Thomas Brandt reports the remainder of the Recovery Act-funded projects is now complete. The rehabilitation of the office/laboratory by Seneca Construction was completed in late March and the project has provided a reliable and efficient heating and air conditioning system for staff working in the building, including providing heat to restrooms in the winter. Brandt says the much-anticipated greenhouse construction work and fencing project by SK Quality Custom Building was completed in mid-March after several delays due to severe weather.

“Weather had been an issue this winter and quite a few construction days were lost,” Brandt explains. “Now that the building is complete, we are definitely utilizing the additional space to rear the endangered Texas wild rice, store materials and using the small office within which to work. We were really looking forward to this building completion.”

Brandt also notes the new energy efficient windows and doors have made a difference in heat loss, temperature control and in reducing the amount of outside noise pollution that enters the building. The new lighting with motion-detection switches in the lab provides a safer environment for staff.
“When carrying equipment into a lab, we no longer have to walk into a dark room and put down the equipment before turning on the lights. Now the lights come on by themselves when we enter the room,” he says. “It has made life easier for everyone, and the new efficient bulbs will lower our energy bills.”

For more information, check out our fact sheets:

Photos:

Administrative Building	Greenhouse
Holding House	Shop Building
McCarty Well Pump House	New energy efficient windows and doors.
McCarty Lane Pump House Rehabilitation	Louver and damper have been installed; actuator to be installed and wired.