Operations in the HUB-Robeson Center, including the Penn State Bookstore and the Computer Store there, have returned to normal, Penn State spokesman Geoff Rushton confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
A failed transformer at the book store set off a variety of electrical problems and complications at the HUB starting Thursday afternoon. As recently as Monday afternoon, electricity there was interrupted.
Rushton said the latest interruption, planned by university technical crews, allowed workers to reroute electrical service and reduce demand on a short-term transformer that’s temporarily in place.
‘We have an additional temporary transformer on the way, and hope to have it installed by the end of this week,’ Rushton wrote in an e-mail message. ‘There will be some service disruption necessary when this is installed.’
Rushton said the university hopes no more interruptions will be necessary until a new, permanent transformer is built and installed. That could take some weeks, he has said.
In the meantime, ‘if we again see the (temporary) transformers nearing capacity, we may need to interrupt electrical service intermittently to reduce the strain on the system and keep it operational,’ Rushton wrote in his e-mail message.
Earlier coverage is posted below.
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UPDATE @ 10:45 a.m. Monday: The HUB-Robeson Center is continuing to suffer unexpected power outages involving lights and network equipment, Penn State reported this morning. The Computer Store there is closed for the time being as crews continue to work on the electrical problems.
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Initial report, posted Friday afternoon:
A power outage lingered Friday at the Penn State Bookstore, inside the HUB-Robeson Center.
The outage, which has temporarily closed the store, stems from a transformer there that failed about 12:40 p.m. Thursday, university spokesman Geoff Rushton said.
Initially, the problem wiped out electricity for then entire HUB-Robeson Center, Pollock Hall, Grange Building, Thomas Building, the HUB parking deck and the Millennium Science Complex construction site. Power for most of those University Park sites was restored soon after 5 p.m. Thursday.
But complications involving the transformer have prevented power from being restored so quickly at the book store, Rushton said.
In addition, he said, air conditioning throughout the HUB remained shut off Friday, and a variety of eateries there were still closed, as university crews addressed the problem.
Rushton said replacing the transformer could take weeks, but crews are working to install a more immediate, temporary fix.
They were hoping to complete that temporary fix sometime Friday, Rushton said. That should restore electricity to the book store and other functions in the HUB.
