Caught In The Act

These employees have recently been recognized for going above and beyond expectations in Customer Service, Teamwork, Innovation, Safety, or Excellence

Connan Smith, Steve Hughes, Richard Smart, Alexander Adams, George Greenwood, Kim Collard, John Cross, Reed Behling, Sarah Jo Gordon, Kevin Williams, Brady Ryan

Fleet Services Releases New Reservation Module

Fleet Services has developed a new online reservation module for Internet Explorer users that will allow customers to make reservations for vehicles from its website. It will also allow customers and users to modify or cancel reservations from the same site. Vehicle reservations are for University needs only.

The previous system required the customer to call or email for reservations and any changes or modifications. The website has a link to a detailed document to help explain the module to customers. They have been running a pilot program for the past six weeks and are pleased with the results.
The online reservation program was made available to the University through an upgrade to its current information system. There will be a link from the Fleet Services website, and customers will need to use their operator ID to log into the system.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the system, please contact Dave Rees, manager of Fleet Services at (801)-581-8155.

Website: http://facilities.utah.edu/facilities-services/fleet-services/

If you would like to see a demonstration of the system please contact Dave Rees, manager of Fleet Services at (801)-581-8155.

FM Monthly Tidbits & Numbers

Holiday University Closure Days
Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013
Friday, Dec. 27, 2013

21
Languages spoken throughout Facilities

12,007

Views on Office of Sustainability blog, an increase of 485% over 2012

SustainableUtah blog reaches larger audience

The Office of Sustainability blog, SustainableUtah (sustainableutah.wordpress.com), is reaching more people than ever. In December, it topped more than 12,000 views and now has more than 2,700 followers.

The increase can be attributed to a complete redesign in August 2013 and an increased number of stories, mostly written by interns Laura Schmidt and Alicia Wrigley-Gailey. If you have story ideas about ways operations are becoming more sustainable, email ayrel.clark@utah.edu.

In the Spotlight

Sarah Vale
Business Services
Accountant

Please welcome Sarah Vale to Facilities Management.  Sarah grew up in a small northern Indiana town but comes to us from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Sarah has only been here for two weeks. She has been an accountant for most of her career, working at a mortgage company and most recently for Steamboat Springs City government.  Sarah enjoys hiking, camping, running, and most importantly, U of U football. She became a fan when her boyfriend attended the U. GO UTES! Sarah enjoys the outdoors and staying in shape. In fact, she has already taken advantage of the spinning classes offered by HPER. 

Sarah is getting ready to move for the second time in her short stint here in Utah to make more room for her family. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys baking, reading, and shopping.

Please take time to swing by Sarah’s cubicle to introduce yourself and welcome her to our team. She is located next to Heather Henderson.

Janus Awards

The Janus Award is a monthly custodial award for excellent performance based on the SMARTInspect System scores. 

Congratulations to the Fort Douglas Crew led by Crew Leader, Clayton Norlen. The team topped other crews with the highest score on the SMART Inspections for the month of November!

Planning a Better Campus

The Campus Planning department is in charge of and oversees the Campus Master Plan which establishes the look, feel and continuity of the University campus. This department takes major projects on campus from inception and develops feasibility, approval, and final design.

Campus Planning’s services include strategic facility plans, master plans, feasibility studies, facility studies, programming, schematic design, and design development, as well as other miscellaneous studies. More information regarding these and other items may be found on its website at http://facilities.utah.edu/campus-planning.

Every new building on campus begins in Campus Planning. You can see their work in action when you walk around and see all the newly constructed buildings and those currently under construction. They do not manage construction but oversee projects and manage them through the initial approval and various stages of design.

The University has set a standard for experiential learning environment through academically branded environments. A recent example of this can be seen in the L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Research Building, which was completed in 2013. Outside consultants coordinated with Campus Planning along with their clients to implement aspects of the research and field of interest into the architecture and design of the building in niches in walls, displays, and detailed to the polo sculpture emphasizing the donor’s interest and involvement.

Contact Campus Planning whenever a new building or major expansion is desired. They can be reached at 1-6883.

Campus Planning’s services include strategic facility plans, master plans, feasibility studies, facility studies, programming, schematic design and design development as well as
other miscellaneous studies.

FM explores taking on Lean

In mid-October AVP Mike Perez and a small group of his directors and direct reports visited the facilities group at the University of Washington. The purpose of the trip was to take a behind the scenes look at how Lean, an organizational process improvement approach which believes people are our greatest resource, is implemented in an organization similar to our own. Moving forward, the group is researching a number of process improvement methods with the goal of identifying the best fit for FM. More information to come in the January newsletter.

Caught in the Act

These employees have recently been recognized for going above and beyond expectations in Customer Service, Teamwork, Innovation, Safety, or Excellence

Bob Norwood, Dennis Denham, Nate Miles, Matt McCoy, Josh Singleton, Kevin Toeniskoetter, Bob Wilson, Josh Peay, Lonnie Medina, Sara McBride, Jayna Gelsinger, David Mead, Missy Tyrrell, Shireen Ghorbani, LeRoy Winn, Michael Whittaker, David Quinlivan, Liz Blackner, Tim Snideman, Ranaq Srivastav

Snow Removal Crews

It’s that time of year again!  Three dedicated crews are gearing up to make campus safe on snowy winter days.
Transportation
This crew consists of eight full-time employees who often rotate to plow snow in 12-hour shifts. They keep roads open and plow high-use parking lots, moving snow piles to improve parking access and traffic flow. Transportation works closely with parking services to respond to customers’ needs.
Roads and Parking Lots
•         8.7 miles of roads
•         Parking lots:  90 totaling 182         acres
Landscape Maintenance
These 50 employees hand shovel stairs, entrances, curb cuts, and handicap ramps, and de-ice sidewalks, confined spaces, narrow ramps and small walks.  They also manage sidewalks and patios.  In addition to daily snow removal, they plow and salt during special events on campus.
Stairs, Walks, and Ramps
•         63 miles of sidewalk
•         807 sets of stairs
•         182 buildings
•         63 ADA ramps
Custodial Services
This crew takes care of the entrance ways for 112 buildings on campus. They use salt and ice melt so that entryways are safe for people going in and out of buildings.  
Please thank these crews when you see them and report any concerns to Dispatch at 1-7221. 

Transportation Supervisor Todd Ryan clears snow on a wintry day.

FM Monthly Tidbits and Numbers

Holiday University Closure Days
Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013
Friday, Dec. 27, 2013

FM Scholarship
Applications are due by Monday, Dec. 2, 2013 for Spring Semester

Service Project
Facilities has given over 500 blankets through the FCO service project.

Janus Awards

The Janus Award was presented to the Business Crew led by Crew Leader, Gene Shelley for the month of October. The team topped other crews with the highest score on the SMART Inspections for the month!

In The Spotlight

Veterans Among Us

This month we take time to acknowledge the veterans currently employed across Facilities Management. There are 34 staffed veterans who are a part of our FM community. We recognize those who served our country for their strong work ethic and valor in service.

Currently, there are over 1.4 million active members of the armed forces. One of those is our own John Palo of Facility Operations who recently returned to active duty with the Navy. He will return to Facilities at the end of his tour.

Facilities has veterans that bring a variety of skills and experiences. They served as radiomen, worked in missile security, and instructed basic training.

To mention a few we acknowledge Dennis Denham, Tom Christensen and Joseph Harman for their time in the armed services.

Next Monday, November 11, is Veteran’s Day. We thank you for your service and sacrifice and we acknowledge all whose lives have been touched by war and conflict.
 

2013 FM Service Project: All Roads Lead to Home

Last year, Facility & Construction Operations worked through the University Veterans Support Center to provide donations of over 80 “magic blankets” and other in kind items to the Veterans Hospital and Veterans Nursing Home.

This holiday season Facility & Construction Operations will be making “magic blankets” and collecting items for The Road Home and their Community Winter Shelter in Midvale. Your donations will provide comfort for families and individuals to ensure that no one is left out in the cold.

Last year, 6,725 individuals (including 659 families with a total of 1,223 children) were sheltered in their facilities. There is no question that the shelter they provide saves lives. The Road Home is open every day of the year and will shelter anyone in need. They do not turn people away and make room for everyone who needs a safe, warm place to stay.

The Midvale shelter houses up to 80 families at a time, increasing the outreach of the program from 20 to 100 families. This additional space allowed The Road Home to provide services to 336 families in 2012 and it is anticipated the numbers will be even higher in 2013.

Items being collected through December 10, 2013 are new baby bottles & formula, diapers (sizes 3-5), coats & jackets for men, women and children, new underwear, gloves, socks and warm hats. We recognize that these items may be the only presents families receive.

We would like to thank everyone in Facility & Construction Operations for your contributions whether it is through your time or financial donations. Collections will continue through Tuesday, December 10, 2013. We appreciate your continued support and are looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish this year!

Last year, 6,725 individuals (including 659 families with a total of 1,223 children) were sheltered in their facilities.  See events for additional volunteer opportunities.

Janus Awards

The Janus Award was presented to the Museum of Natural History Crew led by Crew Leader, Lisa McCarrel for the month of August. The team topped other crews with the highest score on the SMART Inspections for the month!

Caught In The Act

These employees have recently been recognized for going above and beyond expectations in Customer Service, Teamwork, Innovation, Safety, or Excellence

Angie Meeks, Rick Johansen, Troy Danvers, Aislynn Schultz, Ryan Hillam, Craig Erickson, Bob Stilson, Marin Hebdon

2013 District Staff Excellence Award Winner

Facilities Management would like to acknowledge Lora Mortensen, human resources administrator for Facility & Construction Operations , as one of the recipients of the 2013 District Staff Excellence Award (DSEA). This prestigious awards program recognizes superior service and ongoing contributions by the University’s full-time staff.

Lora attended the luncheon and awards presentation hosted last week by President Pershing, where she and the other recognized staff were honored. Lora received the award for her commitment to service excellence and her deep knowledge and understanding of the University and its functions.

Lora with the 2013 District Staff Excellence Award

During the past few years, Lora has supported employee appreciation day activities, as well as served on the staff diversity and equity committee. She also developed the “Caught in the Act” program to acknowledge employees going the extra mile. Lora also organizes a service project that ties quilts for those with special needs for various hospital or campus outreach departments. Her commitment to the University and her contributions will have long lasting benefits for Facilities Management. 

Facilities Management Monthly Numbers

63

Accidents were reported in Facility Operations in 2011

74

Accidents were reported in Facility Operations in 2012

69

Accidents have been reported in Facility Operations in 2013 so far

In The Spotlight

Ernie Flynn
Door Closer Specialist

Ernie Flynn has been working for the University of Utah for 20 years in the Carpenter shop. He fixes all the doors on campus so that they will operate properly, and cares about his work as well as entertaining people on the side.  

Ernie started performing as Santa about 14 years ago, specializing in children’s and family shows.  He is best known as Bobber the Clown, a persona where he combines magic, balloon art,  and comedy.  His favorite part of performing is making people laugh and entertaining them.  Because of his performances he has been able to meet some wonderful people.

Looking for Bobber the Clown around town? He works at the Chinese Gourmet located at 4425 South State St. every Monday from 6 to 8 pm. Ernie has performed for children of all ages at birthday parties, church functions, corporate events, and more. Bobber the Clown has been seen in the Days of ’47 Parade, Bountiful Parade, American Fork Parade, and the Wendover Parade.

More information can be found at www.flynnfun.com

What does the Department of Public Safety do?

Public Safety provides all police and security related services needed on the U of U campus.  The campus is over 1,800 acres, and the officers patrol the campus 24/7, safeguarding close to 50,000 people!

Public Safety provides a number of services, including managing and responding to intrusion and duress alarms. They can also assist if you are locked out of your building or if your card does not function properly. Locked out of your car or your car won’t start?  Public Safety can help you get inside and provide a jump start. Feel uncomfortable walking across campus at night? Call Public Safety and they will escort you to your dorm, vehicle or any building on campus if you feel unsafe. Of course they offer full police services, taking crime reports and investigating incidents that occur on campus. Did you know that they also provide fingerprinting services? This service is provided on Thursdays from 8 am to 4 pm at 1735 E South Campus Dr.

If you would like more information regarding Public Safety, you can visit their website at http://dps.utah.edu. Here you will find reports and statistics on Campus Security, the daily crime log, laws and policies, a list of community resources, and a crime prevention section where you can register your bike, computers, etc., which makes it easier to recover if stolen. There is also a Rape Aggression Defense System, a self-defense program for women.

If you require any of these services, please call 801-585-1162. For immediate police or security response, call 801-585-2677.

Services provided by Public Safety include managing and responding to intrusion and duress alarms.

U of U Farmers Market Opens

Student volunteer coordinator Kate McCarty sells produce from the Edible Campus Gardens at the U of U Farmers Market, which the Office of Sustainability helps coordinate. The market is every Thursday from 10 am to 2 pm on the west side of the Union.

Interns trained in facilities roles; help reach out to other students

Campus Project Delivery
Marin Hebdon is a hard working intern in CPD and is a graduate student in Architecture going for her Masters.
Ryan Hillam has been a huge support to our Infrastructure Upgrade project.
Colby Kalian was just hired on with CPD and is studying architecture.
Zach  Henderson also has just been hired on with CPD and is going into Mechanical Engineering.
 
Campus Utility Services
Richael Hurless and Benjamin Gilmore are engineering students assisting Campus Utility Services. Richael is a Senior pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is assisting with Fathom Models for both High Temperature and Chilled Water Systems.  Benjamin is a Junior pursuing an Engineering degree.  He is assisting in obtaining the original building plans and converting them to an electronic format.
 
Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability has a large number of student interns to help get the word out about on-campus initiatives and programs.
Sustainability Ambassadors: Samantha Jackson, Alicia Wrigley-Gailey, Erin Olschewski, Jai Bashir.
Student Energy Ambassadors: Natan Chetrit, Alev Bilginsoy, Connor Bevins.
Environmental Humanities Graduate Assistant: Laura Schmidt.
Sustainability Student Research Journal Coordinator (funded via SCIF): Max Stiefel.
Garden Stewards: Georgie Corkery, Annaleigh Sanderson, Mike Lynch, Natalie Allsup-Edwards.

Janus Award

The winner of the Janus Award was presented once again to the USTAR Crew led by Crew Leader Glen Nelson for the month of August. The team topped other crews with the highest score on the SMART Inspections for the month!

Caught In The Act

These employees have recently been recognized for going above and beyond expectations in Customer Service, Teamwork, Innovation, Safety, or Excellence.

Craig Erickson, Bill Triplett,  Larry Urbaniak, Angie Meeks; Harry Corsi , Dennis Denham, Troy Young

FM Monthly Numbers

350,000
Gallons of chilled water produced last fiscal year. through the East Chiller plant

10% increase
Improvement over last year in chilled water produced (with addition of Skaggs Pharmacy)

180
New students signed up for the Office of Sustainability newsletter.

In The Spotlight

Part-Time Staff

There are 13 part-time positions in Landscape Maintenance throughout the year. Custodial has around 200 part-time positions in their staff of nearly 350 people. In addition, nearly half of Facility & Construction Operations staff are part-time positions, and those employees help keep our buildings and landscape in tip-top shape. We are grateful and appreciate the hard work from this group of individuals. This group brings a strong energy and level of dedication to their daily tasks. 

Facilities Insider: FM Survey and Projects

The Facilities Insider was held on Aug. 20. Mary Ann Berzins, assistant vice president of Human Resources, presented the macro level results of the employee survey.

The survey was focused on 25 functional groupings and received a completion percentage of 68.7 percent. This survey sets a benchmark as it is the first employee survey in Facilities Management history. Most employees reported feeling that things work well within Facilities and support from colleagues was noted as a highlight. A total of 73.2 percent would describe morale as fair or higher, and 26.8 percent would describe it as low. Most employees believe there is good collaboration within groups and many appreciate the scheduling and variety of work.

Areas for improvement include the need for a career track, administrative resourses and recognition. Opportunities for growth and advancement were identified as leadership styles, inconsistent policy application, communication, resources and pay.

Now that Facilities Management has a general sense of the results, next steps will be management and supervisor-level meetings to review results and themes of comments. Once those meetings have taken place, more specific action plans that respond to the results will be developed. HR will work with groups on action plans, as well as help administration leadership on management style and culture. To be continued!

Mike stated that he hears the concerns regarding pay. He commented we’ve made strides in recent years, but he’s aware we have room for improvement. He will continue to advocate for us.

John McNary also provided an update on university projects.

 Projects completed end of 2013: Thatcher, Skaggs Pharmacy, Business school phase 2, parking access, Sorenson Arts & Education, infrastructure, women’s softball field.

Next up: Basketball facility, Central and Business loop parking garage.

Seeking approval: Crocker Science addition, Lassonde living learning center, Alumni house, infrastructure projects.

Mike stated that he hears the concerns regarding pay. He commented we’ve made strides in recent years, but he’s aware we have room for improvement.

Caught in the Act

These employees have recently been recognized for going above and beyond expectations in the following value areas:

Customer Service, Jake Thomas, Ryan Hillam, Matt Vreeland, Justin Barnes, Rob Robinson, Josh Singleton, Matt McCoy, Kim Collard, Jason Cloward,
Excellence, Grant Krinke, Mark Tennant, Steve Hughes, John Atkins, Brady Ryan, Lora Mortensen, Heather Henderson, Ryan Hillam, Matt Vreeland, Justin Barnes, Rob Robinson, Josh Singleton, Matt McCoy, Kim Collard, Jason Cloward, Todd Allred, Missy Tyrrell, Sara McBride,
Jon Dean, Rod Rodgers,
Teamwork, John Palo, Rod Rodgers, Jon Dean, Sara McBride, Heather Henderson, Missy Tyrrell, Todd Allred, Lora Mortensen, Brady Ryan, Ryan Hillam, John Atkins, Jason Cloward, Kim Collard, Matt McCoy, Josh Singleton,
Innovation, John Atkins, Jon Dean, Rod Rodgers, John Palo.
Safety,  Jason Cloward, John Palo, Jon Dean, Rod Rodgers,

FM Green Team Starts Out With a Win

Facilities Management is #1 in the state of Utah…for driving down our miles in the Clear the Air Challenge!  The newly formed FM Green Team as one of its inaugural tasks chose to focus on the statewide Clear the Air Challenge.  The Green Team worked to get as many FM employees to sign up and track how many miles they carpooled, walked, bicycled, took TRAX or the bus, and trip chained in the month of July. We are very appreciative of management’s support for this effort—not only did Associate VP of FM Mike Perez agree to prizes and a pizza party for participants, but he also went out and bought a bicycle and has been using TRAX and his bike to commute to help the FM team win #1 team in Utah.  The FM team had over 125 participants who collectively saved over 63,000 miles driving in July.  The Green Team would like to thank each and every participant for tracking their miles and hope those participants can join us for the pizza party coming up August 13th (information to follow).

What else is the FM Green Team up to?  We have been educating ourselves about recycling options on campus and what can and cannot be recycled—watch out for Green Team members to show up to your staff meeting and explain about recycling on campus with a fun video and posters.  We have also put a bin in the café room at Turpin for plastics #3-7 that Green Team members are personally responsible for taking home and recycling.  This is one of only 3 bins on campus where you can recycle those types of plastic.  The Green Team also helped inventory existing recycling bins and get an order in for over 15 more bins throughout FM buildings where they will be helpful in increasing our recycling rates.

The Green Team has a list of several more ideas to implement ranging from a campaign to turn computers and other equipment off at the end of the day, recycling toner cartridges, reducing paper usage, and many more.  If you have an idea, feel free to come to our meetings which are held the first Tuesday of every month in the Oak Room 241 in Turpin.  There is a work order number available for every Green Team meeting so that all can participate.  Homemade baked goods are also a part of every meeting—come join us!

Facilities Management is #1 in the state of Utah for driving down our miles in the Clear the Air Challenge! 

Facilities Past Events

Facilities had 68% of staff participate in the first Employee Survey this past May.  Thank you for participating.

Facilities welcomed Mike Thurman, Duncan Campbell, Becca Babcock and Courtney Emery to the Facilities Management team July 29, 2013.

Summer Changes in Facilities

Facilities Management rose to the statewide Clear the Air Challenge and wildly surpassed all other teams competing to save trips and make travelwise choices in the month of July. Together we eliminated 7,515 trips, for a total of 62,792 miles. Under the leadership of Mike Perez, also known as Mike on a Bike, 130 employees representing all departments of FM worked together to reach this goal.

Motor Pool will now be known as Fleet Services. The name change better reflects the charge of this department to manage and provide access to a diverse selection of vehicles and services. Fleet Services oversees fuel for government vehicles, monthly leases, and repair and maintenance for university/government owned vehicles.

Earlier this summer, the Plumbing Shop changed campus locations from its previous location in VRTUSB 350 to Building 215 on Guardsman Way. This needed change provides a more spacious environment for the Plumbing Shop while creating more space for the Carpenter Shops, which will remain in their previous location. The Plumbing Shop services buildings on main campus, Fort Douglas, and in Research Park. Among other duties, they are responsible for water mains, sewer mains, storm drains, gas mains, and secondary water lines on campus. They manage and maintain hot and cold water lines, drinking water reservoirs and campus swimming pools. Stop by and visit them in their new space.

Campus Utility Systems (CUS) in Facility Operations also experienced a number of changes. Kelly Gibbons, Adam Rohde, Rick Deming, Scott Hartwig and Kevin Thomas are all now part of the Engineering Group in CUS. To better meet the growing HVAC needs on campus, Heating/Ventilation and Refrigeration will now be two shops, still both housed in the same location. John Atkins will supervise the First Responders and Facility Coordinators and a new Maintenance Manager position was created to lead the trade shops in CUS as a part of this change.

At the end of July, FM took on four employees from the UCard office. Three of those individuals will join Facility Operations, see new additions, and one, Mike Thurman, will join Chad Thurman in Business Services IT. We welcome all of four of these individuals to FM and look forward to another productive year.

Facilities Management rose to the statewide Clear the Air Challenge and wildly surpassed all other teams competing to save trips and make travelwise choices in July.

Employee Spotlight: Aislynn Schultz

This is part of a series where we hope to feature some of the wonderful and impressive things our employees are a part of outside of their work and this campus.  

Aislynn Schultz has been working for the University of Utah for 2 years in Campus Utility Services in administrative support with 10 years’ experience outside of campus. She is a passionate worker not just on campus but in her personal life as reflected in her participation in volunteering for CAWS (Community Animal Welfare Society). 

Aislynn volunteer’s 64 hours a month with CAWS on average a month. She began to volunteer because she found out Utah is a ‘gas chamber state’.  Most animal shelters in Utah have a gas chamber in them and most of them actively use the chambers to euthanize homeless cats and dogs.  She was upset by this and decided she could not save every animal from this horrible fate, but she could try and save some of them and educating the public about adopting a dog versus the true cost of buying one along with spay/neutering animals is important as knowledge is power and that leads to change.  When people buy a pet from a breeder, online seller or pet store they could be supporting the breeding of more pets, many of whom will wind up in shelters that are already overcrowded.

CAWS is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to work with the community to help animals.  As one of Utah’s oldest Animal Rescues, CAWS’ ongoing rescue, foster, education and adoption programs helps animals whose time is up at shelters, those who are abandoned, and as their resources allow, those whom their owners can no longer keep.  They are a No Kill organization. 

They are part of the Best Friends Animal Society – the largest animal sanctuary in the USA, located right here in Kanab Utah.  As part of the collation CAWS attends all of the Best Friends adoption events.  Our next adoption event is Strut Your Mutt on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at Liberty Park from 8:30am-1:00pm.  If you would like to join the CAWS dog pack and ‘Strut your Mutt’ use this link to register and join the CAWS dog pack: http://www.strutyourmutt.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=6027

CAWS does not have a facility.  We are a 100% non-profit all volunteer organization.  Our rescued cats and dogs live in foster homes.  For example, I am a foster home for a dog.  I take the rescue dog into my home from a Utah shelter and give the dog shelter, food and love.  The dog lives with her until s/he is adopted into its forever home. 

Adopt; Don’t Shop.  Volunteer, Foster or Donate.  If you’d like to make a tax deductible donation to CAWS, please use the following link to donate to Aislynn Schultz’s ‘Strut Your Mutt’ Fundraising Page.  100% of your donation goes to CAWS rescue to assist with homeless animals: http://www.strutyourmutt.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=13422

CAWS website is:  www.caws.org

Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Air Handler and Cooling System Project

Recently the chiller in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology building was replaced with a new evaporative cooling unit by Facility Operations due to chronic temperature control problems.  The new equipment has software control that allows for full maximization of the system. A change to the sequence of operations better utilizes the wet bulb temperatures to keep the building cool without the use of chillers. Chillers, like more familiar household air-conditioning units, are used in large buildings to cool the water used in industrial air-conditioning practices.

Evaporative technology is older but with the use of advanced technology through the control software, the unit is able to cool more efficiently. When temperatures reached 100 degrees Monday, June 10^th the unit was able to maintain 55 degree air discharge temperature through the use of evaporative cooling which cooled the building to 72 degrees inside.

Evaporative cooling is used in both new and older buildings where applicable. For example, the new business building has an evaporative and indirect cooling system alongside chillers.  The savings in emissions and energy use are substantial when able to use evaporative and indirect cooling systems.

Those consulted on this project were Building Automations, HVAC, Facility Operations, Energy Management, Sustainability, and Russ Weaver at Atkinson Electronics. This is the type of teamwork, dedication, and innovation that contributes to the continued success of the University of Utah.

Plumbing Shop Location Change

The Plumbing Shop recently changed campus locations from Building 350 VRTUSB to Building 215 on Guardsman Way. The Shop moved to make more room for the Plumbing and Carpenter Shops.

The Plumbing Shop services buildings on the Campus, Fort Douglas, and Research Park. Their responsibilities include the water mains, sewer mains, the Storm Drains, Gas Mains, and Secondary Water lines on Campus. They have also been put in charge of the retention ponds that are being incorporated on Campus as well as maintaining the drinking water reservoirs, swimming pools and 1,000+ back flows to campus Fort Douglas and Research Park. The Plumbing Shop is also charged with maintaining the Hot and Cold water lines, Sewers and Acid waist, softeners, water treatment for the heating systems, Gas lines, Roof drains, and Plumbing Fixtures in the University’s Buildings.

Campus departments may use Campus Orders for filter services or to service equipment not currently maintained.

Class Gift of 2013

A recent project the Metal/Sign Shop constructed was the Class Gift of 2013.

 

(left to right) Clint Andrews, Dean Ottesen, Daniel Schaerrer and Stephen Pratt (not present).

ASUU will have this set up over by the Union Building with the ability to set this up at different locations on campus.  What inspires U?