Heating upgrades at U.S. Army Garrison Italy nearly complete

VICENZA, Italy - A $6.9 million project that modernizes Caserma Ederle's heating distribution system is nearly complete, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers team that is overseeing the work.

Having reliable infrastructure, to include heating, improves Soldiers' quality of life, said Callie Carmichael, a mechanical engineer with the USACE Mediterranean Resident Office. Most of the Soldiers who live on post belong to the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater) and the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. Casmera Edele is also the main post in Vicenza for garrison services plus the Post Exchange and commissary.

"This key heating infrastructure project directly supports the commands, offices and other organizations on post," Carmichael said.

For the past year, community members have seen small construction sites pop up across the post as contractors dug into the ground to upgrade three kilometers of steam lines. In addition to replacing the dated steam line piping system, they are repairing the trenching network that carries heat throughout the post.

The upgraded system will use also use high-temperature water, said Lyman Parkhurst, a former employee of the Directorate of Public Works who spearheaded the effort prior to his recent retirement.

"It brings more efficiency to the garrison's heating systems, reduces energy and maintenance costs going forward and reduces environmental impacts associated with the older pipes," Parkhurst said.

Some of the older pipes date back six decades. That age and corrosion led to inefficiency, water leaks, rising maintenance costs and reliability concerns. Increasing efficiency and cost savings were factors driving the modernization effort. The new system is also less costly to maintain.

Already, DPW is seeing a 37 percent energy savings from the new piping. Water losses have been reduced by nearly two-thirds. The project is also good for the environment. Old piping insulation contains small amounts of contaminants. The new pipes were installed with more environmentally-friendly insulating foam material.

The project was conducted in three phases and began in 2023. The first two phases were completed by Summer 2024. The visible part of the final phase will wrap up this December, with the project concluding overall in April 2025, Carmichael said. Temporary orange or green fencing, put up and taken down as the project moved across the post, is what most community members see. Mostly recently, that was near the stores and restaurants where people had to find alternate routes and parking spots

"The project team would like to thank all the members of the garrison community for their patience and understanding throughout this process," Carmichael said.

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