sept-2017

130 131 WHEN YOU JUST NEED IT FIXED When you need your facility up and running, call the local experts that always pick up the phone. With over 20 dedicated commercial HVAC technicians, TLC is your solution for heating and cooling maintenance, repair, and installation. Visit tlcplumbing.com for more information. COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL PUBLIC TLC Facilities Run Better. 505. 761.9650 Business View Ad - Commercial Services 05.indd 1 8/28/17 1:03 PM form of a renovation.” One significant upgrade during the recent renova- tion was a lighting retrofit.“We went from a fluo- rescent, incandescent model to a state-of-the-art, managed Lutron systemwith LED lighting,”Garcia relates.“And in our exhibit halls, although they ha- ven’t been retrofitted to LED, the lighting has been designed to accommodate high definition filming. We have sporting events that are shown on televi- sion in HD. In addition, the pipeline for our internet bandwidth for data, if not the biggest, is easily in the top three.We have a facility-wide,managed wire- less system; as an event ebbs and flows throughout the building, the technology sends the resources to where the folks are at, so they can use the Wi-Fi.” Another recent upgrade was a million-dollar facelift of the Hill Exhibit Hall.“The acoustical pan- els were redone and it’s probably one of the most unique exhibit halls in the country,”Garcia main- tains.“They have iconic images of what Albuquerque is–everything from native dancers, to mariachi bands, to vistas of our mountains and our river.” Finally, Garcia reports that the Center is embark- ing upon a $5 million renovation of Albuquerque’s THE ALBUQUERQUE CONVENTION CENTER Civic Plaza,which, in 2014,was turned over to the SMG Corporation, the ACC’s management compa- ny.“It will include new, high-tech water features, some additional shade structures, a playground, and large format television so we can have television programming during the day, i.e. showing a World Cup game, a Super Bowl,when the Lobos play their rivals out of town, and things of that sort.” On the sustainable energy and environmental- ly-friendly front, the ACC is mindful of the impact of its 600,000 square-foot space on the environ- ment, and has taken a proactive approach in fight- ing waste and promoting green practices.“In our kitchen,we compost all leftover food,” says Garcia. “We use compostable or recyclable disposables in catering and the concessions/retail program. Build- ing-wide,we have single source recycling and that includes glass. I bring up glass because in NewMex- ico,we don’t have very dynamic glass recycling, but the Convention Center took the lead in arranging to have glass recycled.There is a cost to it, but we have now become a recycling center for the entire down- town for glass,which we upped to other things like cardboard and plastic.” “Our landscaping is water-efficient for the arid environment of the high desert,”he continues. “Our restrooms are all water-friendly with lowflow toilets and faucets.With our lighting retrofit, that energy consumption has gone down.The next step for us will be to get onto some sort of solar or wind program, however there needs to be some conver- sation about where we would put solar panels or wind turbines.Those conversations are in the works, but there is no timeline yet for any sort of imple- mentation.” Brian Hatchitt is the ACC’s Director of Sales &