Robert K. O’Daniell Disc storage on the right and computing units to the left rear. Photos of NCSA’s Blue Waters facility on the UI campus in Champaign, IL. on Saturday, March 9, 2013.
Drop in a question of your very own BY CLICKING HERE or by emailing Kathy Reiser at mailbag@news-gazette.com.
Whether a form letter some credit-union members recently received is any cause for concern … what happened to the UI’s Blue Waters computer hardware when it was decommissioned … and how YOU can help set priorities for future improvements at the Douglass Park Gym and other Champaign Park District facilities. All in this week’s Mailbag.
“Last Thursday’s News-Gazette mentioned the University of Illinois’ ‘now-decommissioned Blue Waters supercomputer.’ What does that mean? Is the hardware just sitting there doing nothing?”
No. In fact, it’s not even “sitting there” anymore, according to Bill Kramer, Blue Waters director and primary investigator with the UI’s National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
The National Science Foundation awarded the Blue Waters supercomputer to NCSA in 2007. Like any other state-of-the-art system, it was superseded over time.
“Blue Waters provided very high quality and reliability operations from 2011 throughout 2021,” Kramer said. He said it was decommissioned because NCSA did not have money to continue covering the operating costs of the system; the vast majority were utilities costs, primarily electricity and cooling.
“Once the system was turned off and disconnected, we went through a decommissioning process that assured all the parts of Blue Waters were reused, repurposed or recycled so that no ‘e-waste’ was produced, or went to a landfill or other place. We worked with a company called Computer Recovery Associates from Chippewa Falls, Wis., who are experts in such decommissioning to ensure it was done the right way.”
Kramer provided some examples of what happened to parts of the Blue Waters hardware and essential coolants:
The refrigerant/coolant was removed and redeployed to other cooling systems, as there is a shortage of it. The coolant was the type used in freezers and refrigerators in supermarkets and buying-club stores.
The memory, which was very high-performance on original delivery, was repurposed to other devices including handheld devices.
The CPU (central processing unit) and GPUs (graphics processing units) were used as spare parts for other systems.
The critical minerals such as gold and copper were extracted or recycled and reclaimed.
The permanent storage devices had all their data destroyed before reuse.
“The decommissioning effort took about 3 months, and the results were in accordance with all university, state and federal rules,” Kramer said.
The space and infrastructure Blue Waters used in the National Petascale Computing Facility (NPCF) on South Oak Street in Champaign is now being used for other advanced computing systems and projects.
Blue Waters was intended to have a five-year operational period “that turned into nine highly-effective years through strategic cost-reduction investments, innovative system and service methods, experienced project management, and substantial support from NSF throughout the timeframe, complemented by support from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from 2019 through 2021,” according to a 2021 UI press release that announced its decommissioning.
“What’s the deal with this letter I got from UICCU? Are ‘binding arbitration’ and ‘waivers of class action’ agreements truly standard across the banking/credit union industry these days?”
They are becoming more common for financial institutions, according to Fred Giertz, emeritus professor of economics at the UI. He said most investment accounts employ these types of agreements, and about half of banks do, as well.
“The advantage of binding arbitration is that it is a low-cost way of resolving disputes for both the institution and its customers compared to the courts. Some customers may view the arbitration process as unduly favoring the institution, but this is usually not the case. For competitive reasons, financial institutions have to avoid gaining the reputation of being unfair.
“Binding arbitration might be a concern for large investors, but it should not have much of impact on most credit union customers.”
Giertz said use of arbitration is more common among larger banks than smaller ones – and among most of the institutions that do use it, the vast majority also include a class-action waiver in the “fine print.” This type of waiver may prevent thousands of customers from banding together to sue over, say, service-fee disputes. In the case of a member-owned credit union, that can shield the institution and its shareholders from financial risk.
“Sidewalk snow removal after the last snowstorm was pretty abysmal in most places around town; even if merchants cleared the walks, plowed snow sometimes blocked their ramps. Do any local parks prioritize clearing their walkways after a big snow?”
The reader said it was several days before she could safely walk outdoors. And, of course, walking or running laps around a gym isn’t nearly as invigorating as spending time in nature — winter, spring, summer or fall.
While C-U’s park districts do have priority lists for snow-removal, clearing walking paths is not at the tippy-top of either of them.
From Rich McMahon, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, Urbana Park District:
“After a snowfall, our top priority is attending to our park district buildings, plowing the parking lots and clearing the snow, so people can easily and safely get into the buildings. Some of our buildings have earlier opening times than others, such as Health & Wellness and the Indoor Aquatic Center, so they are at the top of the list.
“After buildings have been tended to, plows will move on to other parking lots. Crews that clear walking paths will move on to the parks that don’t have buildings. Of these, we try to get the ones that are used as school routes cleared first. We can normally get to all of these things in one day, with a vast majority of the sites being completed by noon. However, things like equipment breakdowns or higher snow amounts can make the process take longer than what is typical.”
From Sarah Sandquist, Executive Director, Champaign Park District:
“Our first priority after a snowfall is ensuring safe access to park district facilities. From there, and depending on whether Unit 4 schools are in session, staff focus next on sidewalks immediately surrounding nearby schools, including Centennial, Spalding, Eisner and Douglass.
“At the same time, separate crews address sidewalks that fall under city snow-removal ordinances to ensure compliance once a 24-hour clearing notice is issued.
“Once those areas are complete, staff move on to park pathways and trails, following an established priority list. When all equipment is deployed, these priority areas are typically cleared within two working days. Historically, interior park pathways and trails are not cleared on weekends in order to manage overtime costs.
“When conditions warrant, we pre-treat facility parking lots and main entrance walks with salt. (CPD) does not use brine solutions.
“As with many winter operations, timing and weather conditions can affect how quickly all areas are addressed, particularly during large or prolonged snow events. That said, snow-removal priorities are reviewed regularly to balance safety, access, staffing and available resources.”
“Are there any plans to expand the gym facilities at the Douglass Center? It’s always packed.”
This question came in via the Radio Mailbag at the end of January.
Sarah Sandquist, executive director of the Champaign Park District, says CPD is in the middle of a comprehensive facility feasibility study that includes the Douglass Community Center gym along with all park district facilities. Once the study is complete, the park board will review the architects’ recommendations and use them to inform an expanded long-range capital improvement plan.
“We anticipate wrapping the study up this spring and then (the) park board will need some time to review, digest and plan. We are anticipating incorporating ideas from the plan in our FY28 (May 1, 2027-April 30, 2028) Capital Plan and beyond in our FY28-FY37 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan pending board approval.
Sandquist said a survey of randomly selected Champaign residents is being done concurrently with the facility feasibility study. “We are seeking feedback from the community on their thoughts about future projects, programs and priorities.”
Phase 2 of the survey should launch by about mid-March or April, “and if you weren’t randomly selected to complete a survey in Phase 1, we are interested in hearing your thoughts in this next phase!” When that time comes, details will be available on the champaignparks.org website and via the district’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
“I see these old chain-block hoists where the Savoy downtown development is supposed to go, and am wondering … what’s the story behind them?”
I’ve asked around and posted about this on the C-U History Facebook page a while back, and it seems the hoists belonged to Stuart Graham. He was well known as a machinist who used to have his own shop adjacent to the framework from which these hoists are suspended.
Chain-block hoists are used to vertically lift heavy objects, such as a car or truck engine.
Graham’s 2013 obituary said he attended Urbana High School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II during the invasion of Normandy. He was a machinist at J.B. Hayes, Urbana, then later at Impact Register in Champaign. He worked in the High Energy Physics group at the UI and taught in the Machine Tools Program at Parkland College.
“Now that both of Urbana’s new fire stations are open, what is planned for the former Fire Station 2 on South Philo Road?”
Nothing new to report since we ran former Mayor Diane Marlin’s answer to the same question in late January 2025. At the time, she said “there are no formal plans for old Station 2 at this time. The city has committed to demolishing old Station 3 and providing the land as part of a proposed grocery store development by Heartstrong Meals, LLC,” to serve residents in an identified “food desert” on the north side of town.
Earlier this week, Public Works Director Vince Gustafson told me “the Facilities Master Plan completed by the City of Urbana in 2020 determined the cost of repairs and upgrades needed to bring the former fire station on Philo Road up to date provided the necessary justification for the new facility now located across the street.
“While the building is too costly to restore as a functional fire station, there may be other acceptable future uses for the space. City staff will be evaluating next steps for the property; however, no decisions have been made at this time.”
“I saw a sign for a new ‘sauna studio’ in the Shoppes of Knollwood in Champaign. What is that, exactly?”
Window graphics on the 2223 S. Neil Street storefront advertise a Perspire Sauna Studio that’s “coming soon.” It’s part of a chain with locations in more than 20 states. The franchises specialize in infrared saunas, which use colors of light, rather than steam, to provide therapeutic heat for customers in private sauna suites.
“A traditional sauna heats up the air, whereas an infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you,” the website says. “Our full-spectrum infrared saunas combine the beneficial infrared rays with the therapeutic beauty of visible color light in every sauna session. By eliminating the sun’s troublesome, harmful UV rays we provide a safe, restorative sweat session that will leave you rejuvenated.”
The website says the infrared saunas are “a great alternative (for) those who can’t tolerate the high heat of a traditional sauna.” We reached out to corporate headquarters in the hope of connecting with the local franchisee, but have not heard back from them.