By Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer
Student Senate voted to install four new water fountains along the Bear Trail at its first meeting this Thursday evening. The bill passed by a majority vote but did not win unanimous support.
Dr. Kim Scott, director of campus recreation, and San Diego sophomore and Senator Noah Seroter developed and presented the project. The water fountains will replace and upgrade the fountains installed in 2013 and will be placed every quarter mile along the 2.25-mile-long Bear Trail.
The water fountains are Elkay Outdoor EZH2O Lower Bottle Filling Station Bi-Level Pedestal units, outdoor vandal-resistant hydration units. This initiative is within a budget range of $36,800-$38,000 to be paid by the student government if the bill passes.
Scott says she aims to combat dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, particularly with Waco’s high temperatures. During her presentation, she showed a wet-bulb globe temperature chart that outlines recommended water intake based on heat risk and workload. According to the chart, people doing light work should drink between one-half and one quart of water per hour, with recommended intake increasing as heat risk rises.
“This has to be done for the risk of our students,” Scott said during the presentation.
These water fountains will replace the previous fountains with models that can withstand freezing.
“We have had a problem over the course of time: freezing,” Scott said in response to a senator’s question about why the fountains should be replaced. “We have a guy who, at least once every two weeks, goes around and pushes the buttons to make sure they are working. If it freezes, the pipes break, so these are freeze-resistant, and that will not happen.”
Senators debated the use of funds, usability and fountain temperatures.
Waco sophomore senator Christian Neal voted against passing the bill. The fountains will not have a cooling system, so in hot weather the water presumably will be warm. He said during the hearing that, in his experience, people usually plan their distance and do not stop to drink water.
“I am a big runner and biker, so I am always on the Bear Trail talking to people,” Neal said in an interview. “The thing is, I never really see them carry water bottles and be thirsty.”
Neal believes the money should go to student organizations.
“Thirty-six grand in the scheme of student government is not a lot, but people do not realize how quickly it builds up,” Neal said in an interview. “I think fiscal conservatism is the most important thing we can have as a student government.”
Senator Noah Seroter defended the project. During the Senate hearing, he said adding a cooling system to the water fountains would triple the cost.
“If you are really thirsty, you are going to drink water that is clean and filtered, even if it is a little warm,” Seroter said during the hearing. “I do not think that should be a reason why she should not vote on this bill, considering that this is a major safety concern.”
The bill passed by a majority vote, approving between $36,800 and $38,000 in student government funding for the four fountains.
