By Daysi Cardenas
Staff Writer

Underneath Clackamas Community College lies a series of underground tunnels stretching from Randall Hall to Wacheno Welcome Center. These tunnels are filled with pipes and wires that power the buildings and supply water all over campus. 

College employees Andrew Tonkin and James Logan took The Clackamas Print staff on a detailed tour underneath the college. The tunnels allow for maintenance of the HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems. 

Clackamas Print staff tour the tunnels under the Oregon City campus. Photo taken by Carlos Rodriguez-Picazo

One entrance to the tunnel inside Barlow required a climb down something between a staircase and a ladder with really thin steps too small for big feet. 

Tonkin and Logan gave details on how difficult and time consuming it can be running systems. Tonkin named a few main core buildings that receive power from the central plant including Barlow, Randall, Wachino Welcome Center and Pauling.

“We need these systems to heat and cool our classrooms, as well as providing light to the buildings,” said Tonkin.

The tunnels are long, cramped hallways and small rooms, holding tanks and electrical panels, pipes and wires that power the college. Some rooms only have space for one person to work. 

Water pipes in the tunnels. Photo taken by Carlos Rodriguez-Picazo

Guests on a tour have to wear hard hats to avoid banging their heads. Yellow lines on the ground help ensure no one gets electrocuted. 

Tonkin said, “This building was built back in the early 1970s. I want to say like 1971-72, right around there.” 

With that being said the pipes and infrastructure are more than 50 years old. With old infrastructure comes lots of maintenance and manpower that Tonkin said they don’t have. 

Tonkin and his small team cover multiple locations, not just Oregon City, including the Wilsonville and Harmony campuses.

“Ultimately, the estimated full time support we’re supposed to have is five to six people. So even with four people, we’re still understaffed,” said Tonkin.

While navigating through the tunnels, they give insight on challenges they may face working inside and around said tunnels. Maintaining outdated equipment can sometimes come with its own troubles. 

An example Logan gave was a steam heated domestic hot water tank that had a blowout not too long ago.

Tonkin showing off the domestic water tank. Photo taken by Max Coleman

“We actually had a blow out, because the tank is so old,” said Logan.  

All jobs come with their own challenges, but Tonkin and his team can face up to 90 problems all at once. Many take months to complete, even as new problems arise. Tonkin added, “You’re just bouncing back and forth between calls.”  

The team manages the workload by staying organized and focused on priorities. 

Tonkin said “[We are] reserving the right to switch priorities, mainly emergency and life safety, then heating and cooling, lighting then general safety and comfort.” 

Even though some projects take months, Tonkin and his staff stay focused on keeping students and staff safe and comfortable. They’re constantly juggling ongoing work with new issues that come in. 

The tunnels are filled with machinery, pipes and electrical systems all running at once. It’s a tight, noisy space that can easily feel overwhelming.  

While underground, Tonkin said he hasn’t worked on every piece of equipment.  

“Sometimes it’s learning, sometimes it’s something I’ve worked on but don’t remember,” said Tonkin. 

Even when the tunnels become overwhelming, Tonkin and his team remained prepared to handle the challenges.