WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MARY LYON LAWN?
James Kelly
He/Him
Editor-in-Chief
9/9/25
A large fire in Northern Illinois this April probably flew under the radar for most Plymouth State students. But the fire, which caused as much as $30 million in damages to the Rovanco Piping Systems facility in Joliet, IL, had big implications for Plymouth State: Along with the Rovanco building, the fire also destroyed pipes that were slated to be used in an upgrade to PSU’s steam heating system, according to PSU Facilities Project Manager Clint King.
With the delays from the Illinois fire, the project is slated for completion in mid-October, King told The Clock in an email. That includes work extending to a steam vault across Highland Street and in front of Lamson Library. In the meantime, campus buildings will maintain regular access to heat and hot water.
The purpose of the steam project, which now has crews and large construction equipment occupying Mary Lyon Lawn, is to install a second steam line for the south end of campus, King said. The steam system is responsible for building heat and hot water on campus. “Currently there is a single steam main servicing campus buildings south of the HUB,” King said. “If there was a failure on the existing line, this new line [would] provide continuity of service.”
Mary Lyon Lawn will not be immediately accessible once the construction is complete. Students will have to wait for grass to grow back in the areas that now look like a sandpit. As crews work, the lawn’s large trees are protected with fences labeled “tree protection zone.” Crews also operate under site controls and during work hours meant to minimize disruptions from dust or noise to regular campus activity, King said.
The project, which carries a price tag of $2.3 million, was approved at a February University System Board of Trustees Executive Committee meeting. The money comes from the PSU reserve fund. The original target completion date for the project, before delays, was August. The Committee’s meeting minutes describe the current steam system as “at a high risk of failure.” Without upgrades, a problem with the system could have put nine buildings on campus at risk of losing heat.