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Our Needs

Campus-Wide Needs

Integrated System Controls
An integral part of our HVAC replacement and upgrade plan is to install a Building Automation System (BAS). These systems  integrate all the different heating, cooling, refrigeration, and lighting subsystems. Having an up-to-date BAS will provide our maintenance staff with real time control and problem solving tools.

Energy Efficient Systems
Across our campus we want to convert our steam heat to forced air to be more energy-efficient and cost-effective. Since so many of our units need to be replaced, now is the time to upgrade toward this goal. 


St. Benedict Hall

HVAC Replacements
St. Benedict Hall’s rooftop HVAC unit has exceeded its life expectancy and takes a long time to cool and heat the building's rooms.

  • The old HVAC unit and variable air volume (VAV) system must be replaced together because they require the same model and year.
  • Our current Air Handling Unit (AHUs) controls do not communicate with each other.  One unit is allowed to be in heating mode while the other is providing cooling.

More Heating Capacity
St. Benedict Hall’s boiler is in good working condition but it doesn't have the capacity to effectively heat St. Meinrad and St. Scholastica Hall too.

Meinrad Hall

Central Air Conditioning
Meinrad Hall does not have a central air conditioning (AC) system and is heated with steam radiators and cooled with problematic window air conditioners.

  • Exterior condensation from the window AC units is eroding the building's brick and mortar and causing mold infiltration. The moisture also creates slipping hazards in the parking lot and on walking surfaces around the building's exterior.
  • On the interior, the window units don’t meet code for ventilated air and don’t evenly cool all the spaces.
  • The halls and classrooms that are not able to have window air conditioning units have no cooling at all.

St. Scholastica Hall

Central Heating & 
Air Conditioning
St. Scholastica’s outdated, inefficient heating and cooling system is a variety of steam boilers and window AC units. Some areas, like the auditorium and gymnasium, do not have cooling at all. This results in an uncomfortable building that is uninviting to new families who might want to enroll their children in our school.

  • The gymnasium, cafeteria, and auditorium HVAC units have far exceeded their expected life, aren't efficient, and have issues that make them unrepairable.
  • Our window AC cooling units are not energy-efficient, require unattractive exterior piping, and don’t meet ventilation codes.
    Also, the kitchen's exhaust hood has a  venting problem.  

Cathedral Building

Heating & Cooling Updates

  • The church’s chiller is past its life expectancy, unreliable, and not energy-efficient. It takes too long to cool the building and the inconsistent temperature is uncomfortable and unwelcoming for our parishioners and guests.
  • The old AHUs are also past their life expectancy. They work with the boiler to heat the church, and impact its maintenance, which is costly and time-consuming.

Rear Mechanical Addition
Equipment for the planned heating and cooling updates requires that we add space at the back of the church. This need presents an opportunity to address the building's accessibility issues.

  • Our sanctuary does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because the stairs make it difficult for those with mobility issues. In fact, we’ve had to physically carry priests up the steps to partake in the sacred celebration of the Eucharist.
  • We lack an ADA-compliant restroom near the sacristy, and reaching our adoration chapel requires using stairs.
  • The needed mechanical room will house the church’s new AHUs and other mechanical and electrical equipment.

Parish Center & 
Boiler Building

Staff Offices
St. Benedict Cathedral is the center of the Diocese of Evansville and we need to provide the staff with appropriate office space to perform their work for our parish and the diocese. The current office building is old, energy-inefficient, and has unhealthy mold issues. Its third floor is left empty due to mold and no heating and air conditioning.

Redundant Mechanical Space
When we replace all the campus HVAC units and build the mechanical addition on the back of the church, the boiler building will no longer be needed.

Ministry Center & Gathering Space

Convenient Social Space
Our cathedral lacks a dedicated, convenient ministry center and gathering space. We need a place to meet and greet our fellow parishioners and gather together for sacramental celebrations and large meetings and gatherings.

  • We currently can only host large activities in the school at times and in places that don’t interfere with our school children.
  • Additionally, expecting people to move to a different area of our large campus, especially during inclement weather, is inconvenient and not as welcoming as we’d like.

Sacristy & Bride’s Room

Drastically Outdated Room
Our Sacristy and bride’s room is drastically outdated which makes it neither welcoming, comfortable, nor functional. It does not match our cathedral’s beautiful aesthetic and, frankly, is an eyesore. The floor is crumbling and the cabinets don’t serve our needs.