Maintenance Solutions Achievement Awards

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Tulsa Community College

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:22:00 GMT

Tulsa Community College is a 2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Virginia Beach City (Va.) Public Schools

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:21:00 GMT

Virginia Beach City Public Schools is a 2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: The University of Texas at Austin

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:21:00 GMT

The University of Texas at Austin is a 2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:20:00 GMT

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a 2011 winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Parsons Corporation

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:20:00 GMT

Parsons Corporation is a 2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Broward College

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:19:00 GMT

Broward College is a 2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Texas Children's Hospital

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:07:00 GMT

2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Submission: County of Fairfax, Va.

Cory — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:05:00 GMT

2011 Winner!

Forum Post: Re: Where are the votes?

Chris Matt — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:07:00 GMT

Your vote was submitted successfully. We're trying to get as many votes as possible for all the entries.

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Regional School District No. 6

waprin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:58:00 GMT

RSD6 shows excellent global responsibility. RSD6 is a small, rural, public school system located in northwest Connecticut. This program is a great way to have children learn how to inherit their world - by practicing what we teach.

Warren Principal

Forum Post: Re: Submission: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

nsherwood — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:45:00 GMT

outstanding, nice to see alternatives, things everyone can do everyday can produce significant savings.

Forum Post: Submission: Bayer

Dan Hounsell — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:12:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

Bayer, Pittsburgh Site

Overview:

Sustainability Practices at Pittsburgh Site — Solutions implemented:

• Sustainable Practices and Resource Conservation (SPARC) Site Team to monitor progress and program. The team is made up of representatives from different departments.

• Implementation of “Green Energy” – 3 percent electricity with Green Energy credits – site becomes member of EPA Green-e Power Partnership (cost $30,000 annually)

• Recognized by Wildlife Habitat Council of Silver Springs, Md., as one of only 21 sustainable sites in North America

• Implemented with PennDOT a site bus service and encouraged carpooling through a database

• Implemented Day Cleaning: Saving five hours per week day of electricity, annually reducing carbon footprint by 11,400 tons of carbon dioxide and saving $95,000

• Green Cleaning Techniques: Use of green cleaners and reusable micro-fiber cloths

• Revived and expanded recycling program, increasing our recycling by 80 percent over a two-year period

• First Pennsylvania location to recycle old carpeting (to date 236,000 pounds reducing 70 tons of greenhouse gases

• Implemented “Recycle” before “Disposal” work practice for scrap, keeping 20 tons annually out of landfills

• Held a Sustainability Fair that included energy-saving tips and e-recycling day for consumer products from employee’s homes.

• Implemented “Think before your print” work practice and awareness education because 45 percent of everything printed is thrown out after one day.

• Reduced seven million sheets per year of paper by implementing two-sided printing as a default setting on printers.

• Saved $20,000 per year in electricity by implementing multi-purpose machines instead of (fax, scanners, and copiers)

• Eliminated the use of chemicals with upgraded technology and switched to natural vegetable based inks in the Print Shop

• Use recycled paper or sustainable supply sources in the Print Shop

• Site Energy Monitoring System for each building and analysis

• Shifting to directly charging buildings for energy usage rather than to bury utility costs in the square footage rates. This will give incentive to high energy users to conserve.

• Conduct seasonal energy audits/assessments and provide feedback.

• Installed motion detectors to reduce electrical usage where applicable (building dock areas, 28 vending machines).

• There are over 200 indoor plants and several outdoor picnic areas for employees.

• Higher temperature maintained in the summer months

• Lower temperature maintained in the winter months

• Automated building systems that regulate air temperature

• Use of EPA’s Energy Star products (office machines, personal computers, etc.)

• Implemented use of “daylighting”: Natural use of windows and skylights and turn off interior lights.

• Installed two “white” roofs on Campus to lower roof temperatures by 80F on sunny days, reducing HVAC loading.

• Reduced water consumption 750,000 gallons/year via improved cooling tower operation.

• Installed a “telepresence room” and encourage video-conferencing when possible.

• HR has a telecommuting policy for employees to work from home.

• Re-lamping lighting upgrade project which uses more efficient lighting techniques, saving energy (1 million pounds per year. in GHG) and money ($51,000 per year.)

In-house participants:

Bob, Altrudo

Tom, Barclay

Melanie, Boff

Carol, Broz

Farhad, Cana

Greg, Chapman

Tom, Dingo

Michael, Gerace

Gary, Gilbert

Debi, Kranak

Jim, Kruger

Jim, Molyneaux

Russ, Patterson

Mike, Pesta

Mariangela, Peters

Rick, Piotrowski

Art, Ritter

Mike, Sekelik

Jude, Shemon

Vince, Smith

Tom, Szulborski

Terry, Thomas

Ron, Zacour

Results:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: Fulton County Schools

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:44:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

Fulton County Schools, Atlanta

Overview:

Fulton County Schools operates its school system on data. Whether the 92,000-student school system in the Atlanta area is evaluating student work, bus driver efficiency or teachers, Fulton benchmarks, eyes the data, sets quantifiable goals, and analyzes the results. In fact, Education Week recently profiled the school system for their data-driven decision-making in all facets of the system.

So when Russell Holly, Coordinator of Utility Services, and Joseph Clements, Executive Director of Facilities Services, set out to cut energy use in the sprawling school system’s 100 plus buildings, data drove the planning and methodology. It wasn’t long before results started showing. In December 2010, the system was recognized with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Leader award as a Top Performer, meaning it has achieved an energy efficiency portfolio rating for the school system’s overall score exceeded Energy Star labeling requirements.

Only 50 school systems in the United States were recognized as Top Performers for 2010 and, of those, Fulton had the most labeled buildings. Continuing the mission of saving energy and the associated expenses led to Fulton County Schools to being recognized in 2011 for making an additional 10 percent improvement in the system’s energy performance to achieve an Energy Star portfolio rating of 83.

According to Clements, Fulton has the fourth most Energy Star buildings of any school system in the United States. Atlanta ranked sixth in the nation in the number of Energy Star labeled buildings in 2010 and Fulton’s schools accounted for 83 of Atlanta’s 201 labeled buildings. Facilities must achieve a minimum energy score of 75 and meet additional requirements to receive a label.

Energy Star labeled buildings cost 40 cents less per square foot per year to operate than the average school, so the system’s 15 million square feet of facilities translates into more than $6 million per year in reduced energy costs. “Part of the cost reduction is related to a lighting retrofit, which generated $600,000 per year in energy savings” says Holly.

Why undertake Energy Star designation, and more broadly energy conservation? “To be good stewards of tax money,” says Clements. “It’s a good ROI for us, more than a LEED building or planting grass on the roofs. Energy Star is a good way to compare since it is weather adjusted.” In 2008, the school system began to use the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark individual facilities and also benchmark performance against schools on a regional and national basis.

Holly says Fulton’s new prototype schools are designed to be efficient and qualify for the Energy Star label. “Our new elementary schools are designed so it would be hard for them not to qualify – like entering a hybrid car in a gas mileage contest, with 22 out of 22 new schools earning the Energy Star label.” Even though all those schools qualify, operating them more efficiently can get an even higher Energy Star score.

“Our HVAC systems have an incredibly efficient design. We separate fresh air intake from the heating and cooling of the facility and installed dedicated units so we don't have to turn on large areas for partial occupancy. We have zones that operate during the summer and evening hours separate from the classrooms, such as the cafeteria and gym, designed the way we operate the school. We zone our HVAC to allow after-hours operation for teachers staying late while unused classrooms don't have to be on. ‘Design up front to be more efficient later on’ is our mantra” said Holly.

For schools without the latest in energy saving design, Fulton’s Utilities Services Department works with available technology to control what they can from a central location. “We can’t compare older schools to new ones, but technology certainly helps.” says Holly. “Key sensors tell us when the areas are cold or hot, and we can check and find out why. Preventive maintenance contracts also help us keep our usage down. We monitor electric and gas usage on real time basis for most schools, allowing quicker feedback on identifying proper operation and energy waste. After school hours, we make sure power usage drops appropriately.”

The next step in energy conservation is participation by the school-based employees and students with items in their control. “We educate everyone and remind teachers to turn off lights and computers, and limit HVAC overrides,” says Holly. Small things add up; it’s not much different than at home.

In-house participants:

Russell Holly, CEM, Coordinator, Utilities Services
Joseph Clements, PE CEM, Executive Director Facilities Services

Results:

Chart

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: Sandia National Laboratories

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:36:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, Calif.

Overview:

The implementation of a state of-the-art computerized irrigation system has changed Sandia National Laboratories, California’s landscape watering practices. The new system has resulted in a program that maintains the site’s landscaping at the same time implementing cost savings and reducing water usage. This practice demonstrates Sandia leadership in implementing the water reduction requirements of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 450.1A.

Sandia National Laboratories, California’s (SNL/CA) climate is typical of the Mediterranean conditions in the San Francisco Bay region, where cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers are normal. The average annual precipitation in is Livermore 14.82 inches, and temperatures range is 22-105 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the minimal amount of rain, SNL/CA cannot rely on rain to provide enough water for its landscaping.

SNL/CA currently has 13 acres of developed landscaped areas that are watered by an irrigation system. This system is composed of 5 miles of irrigation piping. SNL/CA is committed to saving 1.4 million gallons of water per year. To support this conservation goal, the Landscaping Group of the Maintenance Engineering Department researched several central control software irrigation programs in 2005.

The central control software irrigation program chosen lets the user communicate via a central computer to the satellite controllers wirelessly rather than running long wire runs to tie field controllers together. SNL/CA Security requirements for wireless networking needed to be addressed prior to implementation. SNL/CA worked with DOE/NNSA to resolve the security issues and concerns of using wireless onsite and received approval to proceed in September 2007.

The central control irrigation system includes a central computer program that features a water management program. The central computer resides in the Landscaping office. The central control irrigation system manages 17 satellite modular units that are strategically stationed throughout the site to perform the irrigation control work in the field. The system utilizes a two-way radio to communicate changes between the field units and the central computer as well as to allow feedback to a hand held radio. The radio communication option was chosen as it allows little or no disruption to existing landscape systems and is ideal for single site installations.

SNL/CA began the installation of the central control irrigation system in November 2007, and it was completed in March 2008. This new system is designed to minimize unnecessary watering. It measures weather conditions such as wind and humidity and when it senses rain, the system can be shut down via computer within 10 minutes with considerable water savings. This feature of quick delayed watering has also resulted in a reduction in the man hours needed to manually turn sprinklers off during the rain. This reduction has saved SNL/CA $3,200 in labor costs.

With the old system, irrigation could continue to operate for six-eight hours before it could be manually turned off, resulting in hundreds of gallons of water wasted. The new system allows SNL/CA landscapers to minimize the amount of water used for irrigation by closely matching the operation of the watering system to the needs of the landscaping and given weather conditions.

The attached graphs show the water usage at SNL/CA. Figure 1 shows the water use by month. Note the reduction in water use beginning in July 2008 and continuing through the summer months. Overall, SNL/CA realized a 5.1 million gallon (7.4%) decrease in FY 2008 water usage from FY 2007 as shown in Figure 2. The water use reduction has resulted in a $16,000 savings. This reduction is a strong start for SNL/CA to reach one of its Water Reduction EMS Targets, specifically to achieve a reduction in site water consumption in FY 2015 by 16 percent from a 2007 baseline. SNL/CA must reduce its water consumption by 2 percent each year to achieve this target.

In-house participants:

Gerald Vincent
Robert Clevenger

Results:

Water use charts

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: Georgetown University

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:13:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Overview:

As Manager of Recycling and Solid Waste Disposal, I direct the university’s recycling and solid waste disposal system on a 98 acre campus servicing over 30,000 full-time students, faculty and staff. When I started in the position, I was faced with developing and implementing organization, staffing, equipment needs, policies and procedures for all recycling, disposal and sustainability initiatives that had not been changed in over seven years.

At first, I realized I had to reorganize the entire system in accordance with current industry standards. I started by writing a comprehensive five-year solid waste management plan. This included revitalizing the recycling program to increase the recycling rate from less than 10% to over 46 percent in six months. Additionally, our waste-diversion rate was increased to over 90 percent.

I identified new equipment to replace our aging fleet and submitted a request for leasing three new commercial vehicles more conducive to the operations on a highly developed urban campus. Part of this plan included a realistic five-year replacement plan.

Initially, my request was rejected because of cost; however, when I explained the flexibility of a commercial vehicle lease, as well as the decisive impact the new cleaner, less noisy vehicles would have on our carbon footprint, the plan was approved.

I searched out new commodity brokers to maximize the income from recyclables and started new programs such as electronic recycling throughout campus to insure our equipment was disposed of properly and in accordance with the most stringent industry codes. By negotiating longer term contracts with these brokers our revenue for recycled material increased by over 200 percent.

I am also the Facilities Management liaison with the Director of Sustainability Programs for LEED certification of new buildings to insure that the project managers used the same system in each building for maximum uniformity.

I found it took extremely logical presentations to enable the senior members of the university to understand the benefits of each program, but when the changes were made and successfully passed a cost-benefit analysis, they were gladly accepted.

Georgetown University has a state-of-the-art recycling and solid-waste disposal system that boasts of over 50 percent recycling rate and 90 percent waste-diversion rate. Our goal for next year is 60 percent.

In-house participants:

Richard Payant, Director of Facilities Management
Michael Pontti, Assistant Director of Facilities Management
Audrey Stewart, Program Direcor for Sustainability

Results:

Document 1

Photo 1

Photo 2

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:03:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP)

Overview:

Our superintendent started a recycling program three years ago. At USFSP, we saw the need to recycle for economical and environmental reasons. We started out small and researched what we could do to improve this program. We have had the program grow from 10 percent recycled to 45 percent recycled. We are aiming for a 70 percent recycle quota. We have included plastics, aluminum, light bulbs, electrical items (printers, computers, etc), and batteries of all types, as well as cardboard and paper.

We have installed 96 gallon recycling bins for plastics/aluminum and paper in our hallways, as well as our offices. In our residence housing, we have put 96 gallon recycling bins on every floor, as well as individual bins for any rooms that may want them.

At first, we collected a big majority of trash mixed in with our recyclables, which caused us to throw away a big percentage of recycling into the trash container. As we put into circulation information about recycling, our percentage of recycling increased, and our trash percentage fell. We have on site recycling of our light bulbs. We were paying to have our paper and cardboard removed but now it does not cost us for this service. We have brought in a baler to crush and bale our cardboard. We have put together information to inform people in the community, students, faculty and staff on recycling.

Student government, as well as the campus community, is helping us to accomplish our goals by spreading out information and setting up booths during events. This shows us we are having an impact on the future generation the need to recycle. We have offered businesses in the area to bring their cardboard to our facility to recycle. We have outside recycling bins in order that the community can bring their recycling to our facility to recycle.

All employees of USFSP are encouraged to bring in their recycling from home in order to have it recycled. We are getting a good amount of positive feedback from many sources. We have negotiated to have most of our recycle products removed at no cost to us, but they will donate 20 percent of their profits generated to the Ronald McDonald House in our name. We have accomplished this with basically a zero budget.

We have delamped all of our buildings to reduce of use of electricity. We have a service come to our campus to recycle our used florescent tubes, gas and non-gas bulbs. They insert tubes of all types into a machine and it separates and recycles all components of the bulbs including ballasts. This reduces our carbon footprint.

We have our sprinkler system using reclaimed water which reduced the times and amount of watering to conserve our water supply. We have researched and are purchasing "green chemicals" to do our cleaning and floor work. The chemicals that we use do a very good job of cleaning and are safer for our employees. We now have green certified hand soap in all of our restrooms. Our industrial hand soap uses crushed walnut shells for a scrubbing effect. We have started using a microfiber mopping system that reduces our water consumption by about 60 percent.

We are using color code microfiber cloths that pick up more particles but also reduce our use of paper towel waste, and they clean better. These chemicals and microfiber products are not only "people friendly" but also "environmentally friendly" as well. We have changed our paper products in our restroom to the products using green certified recycled paper.

We have built a gold LEED building and are building a new building, which will be at least a silver LEED building. We will be starting a remodeling project which will come in as at least a green LEED project.

Our students, as they advance and graduate, they go out into the working sector and take along all this recycling information into the working world and their own homes. This spreads the word of how important it is to reduce, reuse and recycle. This will raise the percentage of what we recycle, reduce what we put in the landfills, reduce our carbon footprint and reuse all items that we can. This will help to insure that future generations will have some resources to draw from as opposed to using everything up and they have nothing. We see nothing but good results as our program grows and prospers.

In-house participants:

John Dickson, Rick Close, Kevin Cartmill, John Sutton, Jarlon Webb, Cathy McClish, David Wilton and OMF Staff

Results:

(poll)

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: First Baptist Church of Jackson

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:51:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Renovations

First Baptist Church of Jackson, Jackson, Miss.

Overview:

My chiller system is probably 30 years old. It has not been well taken care of over the years. So I have a deal with Terry Trane, who is coming in and changing 29 out of 32 speed drives that have been on bypass for a few years. They are going to go all the way through my system and clean coils in the air-handling unit and also the VAV boxes. This is going to save the church a lot of money when it is complete. Terry Trane has a very good team, and they very well-trained .

In-house participants:

Terry Trane and my maintenance staff.

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:33:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Washington, D.C.

Overview:

A history of new technology equipment is passed onto facility maintenance personnel in which they are expected to learn and develop troubleshooting techniques when equipment fails. Maintenance personnel get a limited time of actual hands-on experience with new equipment. Sustainability of equipment suffers because of lack of effective training and actual hands on experience.

Two opportunities to get ahead of the training curve and improve sustainability of new green technology specifically the use of solar-power equipment came to the Departmemt of Maintenance Services (DMS) in 2010. First, was the failure of streetlight in which the under ground feed failed, the cost and complexities of fixing this feed made the option of replacing with solar power a good solution. Second, was a request by the General Manager’s office to supply AC power for two new outdoor LED signs to be installed on Central Operations Building. This was an excellent opportunity to use solar energy for these new LED signs.

As the manager of the Electrical Instrumentation team, I saw this as an opportunity to be proactive and ahead of the learning curve of green technology. DMS would have actual hands on experiences and develop some expertise working with this technology. We could be better prepared to review and make recommendations on future projects that will help in sustainability of this green technology.

This was a great training opportunity for team members to learn about this new technology and develop maintenance procedures. Team members would understand this technology better and not be intimidated about maintenance problems. This was good occasion to have electrical and instrumentation groups pull together and work as a team. The DMS team responds well when given a challenge, especially given the fact that this was green technology.

The first major challenge was a lack of in house personnel who had experience in developing technical specifications or requirements with solar technology. The way we overcame this challenge was by doing a lot of research and talking to many different suppliers of this equipment. After a couple of weeks, the design team developed proper specifications that would meet requirements of these projects. Another challenge was getting team members to step out of their comfort zone. This was overcome by providing a lot of team encouragement; and explaining this was a training exercise in which mistakes where part of the learning process. Phase II of this project was the general manager was introducing a rebranding of DC Water logo in which completing projects without on time or equipment failure was mandatory. Local news organizations would be present to witness unveiling of new technology. This was over come by not applying time pressure on the installation team.

All of the training and installation was completed on time and within budget.

Many team members contributed to the success of these projects and developed a better understanding of this technology with actual hands on experience. The Department of Maintenance services is better prepared to review, operate, and maintain future solar projects. High levels of pride and accomplishment by the team members of a job well done and exceeding expectations in this high profile challenge was achieved. Senior management acknowledgment that this was the first major green project done at this facility. The Department of Maintenance services was the leader and set the bar high with this project. DMS is in a better position to review future project specifications and do field inspections of installations done by either outside contractors or in house personnel. The solar equipment installed has been in service close to one year and at this time has not had any failures.

In-house participants:

Rafael Rosso

Ernest Johnson

Edrick Upsher

Richard Ulrich

Dmitri Valouiski

Lolita Hardy

Leon Thornton

Jack Covert

Dai Tran

David Morton

David Street

Titus Lawrence

Franklin Redd

Edwin Yaniga

Wade Brooks

Quentin Jackson

Steve Charisa

Terrance Rigby

Asa Chapman

Results:

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: Macy's Inc.

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:56:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Sustainability

Macy's Inc., Independence, Mo.

Overview:

We are consistently challenged by our Energy Management group to meet or exceed an aggressive year percent) with consistently higher temperatures in the region (+2.07 percent higher).

With such a large percentage in savings, the 13 retail locations within the district have seen larger profits on their bottom line, which has translated in overall better numbers for the entire company.

The Macy's Kansas District Facilities Management Team has several reasons behind this success story:

• Replacing 46-Watt incandesecnt bulbs with 26-Watt compact fluorescents that totaled 20,328 Watts per day (7,399.392 kW per year)

• Removing unneeded lamps from back-of-house areas totaling 30,416 Watts (11,071.424 kW per year)

• Installing variable frequency drives on 15 motors ranging from 15 HP to 75 HP

• Installing upgrades to Energy Management Systems (e.g., relays, contactors, etc.) saving 41,000 Watts per day

• Installed more than 40 occupancy sensors in common areas to reduce lighting levels.

In-house participants:

Macy's Facilities Management — Kansas District
Bart Salmon, Regional Director; Lucas Guerri, District Facilities Manager; Rick Washam, Chief Engineer; Chris Tomlinson, Marty Todd, Robert McCoy, John Weston

[Poll]

Forum Post: Submission: Burcham Hills Retirement Community

Dan Hounsell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:49:00 GMT

CATEGORY: Renovations and Retrofits

Burcham Hills Retirement Community, East Lansing, Mich.

Overview:

We have done several retrofit projects over the last few years. The usual challenges associated with modifying a 220,000+ square-foot and nearly 40-year-old building apply, doing so while remaining fully occupied with elders is even more difficult.

We have accomplished all of the following major retrofits, plus several renovation/addition projects as well. Within the last four years we have completed the roof replacement, generator upgrade, heating plant, domestic water boilers, domestic recirc system, water temp controls, installed an energy management system and DDC controls for air conditioning, building access control system, wireless network, nurse call system, IT network, phone system, fire alarm system, sprinkler piping/heads, a chiller system ... all while maintaining a 40-year-old building equipped with galvanized plumbing. The daily demands of maintenance and assisting the 325 elders and 345 employees is a daunting task on its own. Throw all of these projects on top of it, and it's a real challenge.

Every retrofit we've done has presented it's own unique challenges, but I really feel like we've done a good job of adding as much value to the community as possible. I always start out a project by asking, "What are our opportunities here?" I don't want to just replace that piece of equipment with a new one. I look for ways to eliminate equipment, make it more efficient, less costly, more functional, something. In some cases, there are ways to save very significant amounts of money in the future if you stop and think creatively.

It doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. On this year's schedule are a new decoupled chiller system to eliminate several original split aid conditioning systems, group apartment renovations, a new Entrance lobby and canopy, another 12,000+ square foot addition with private resident rooms and a kitchen/dining area, significant landscaping projects, and several other smaller renovations.

I think everyone on my staff, as well as our leadership team, deserves recognition for all of the accomplishments we have made in the last few years. I know that many other buildings have undergone modifications and retrofits, but I doubt many have experienced the quantity of invasive procedures over such a short period of time that we have.

In-house participants:

Pam Ditri, Executive Director
Jennifer Pruitt, Operations Director
Mark Sarvis, Director of Building & Grounds
Dave Oxendale, Maintenenace Supervisor
Dragan Paravina, IT Coordinator
ATI Group
Dobie Construction
Mayotte Group Architects

[Poll]