Texas State University - San Marcos

Facilities Paw Prints

April 2013 Issue 3

AVP’s Message -Juan Guerra Please join me in congratulating Mario Molina, Assistant Director, Utilities Operations, for being selected the March 2013 Employee of the Month.

Mario was presented with a certificate signed by Dr. Trauth for this noteworthy achievement. His recognition is well deserved. While continuing to provide regular oversight of the various utilities operations and the usual Winter Break maintenance tasks and projects, he also orchestrated a complex series of significant electrical outages from December 17 to 30, 2012. During this 13 day period both city substation electrical service to campus and all fourteen 15KV main campus electrical feeders were disconnected, moved, spliced to new cable, tested and connected to new electrical switchgear. This effort required extensive planning and clear communication for a safe project with minimal impact to the majority of the campus buildings. Even with a tight schedule, Mario ensured that safety and adequate

rest periods were designed into the work plan. All normal electrical service was fully functional by January 2, 2013 when university operations resumed. This was a major undertaking that was executed flawlessly due to the meticulous planning, coordination, attention to detail and superb team work of the entire group that included members from other departments. The transition of all the primary electrical circuits went off seamlessly even though the undertaking had the potential to significantly disrupt campus operations but did not. January 2013 VPFSS Quarterly Team Award The members of the Electric Infrastructure Upgrade Team

This team received their well-earned recognition for taking on a project that required an 18 month period of planning in order to perform the task in a fast and competent matter. The entire university including faculty, staff, students and visitors benefited from the electrical infrastructure upgrades. The success of this

group allowed Mario Molina’s project to move forward to transition to the new switchgear over the winter break. UTILITIES OPERATIONS: Doug Bynum, Kurtis Crockett, Roy Eastwood, Harry Gonzales, Rudy Gonzales, Sheri Lara, John Ledbetter, Bob MacDonell, Mario Molina, Daniel Moran, Larry Mutschler, Juan Romero, Dennis Taylor, Carl Teague, Jay Wolfenbarger FACILITIES MANAGEMENT: Eddie Brandon, Jerry Deleon, Bill Gibbs, Gilbert Martinez, Richard Medrano, Robert Mercado, Gilbert Morales, James Norton, Jonny Picasso, David Smith, Gloria Tobias, Steve Volk, Ramon Rivera, Paul Flores PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION: Michael Krouse, Aaron Noto and Bill Tomlinson ENVIORMENTAL HEALTH, SAFETY AND RISK MAGEMENT: Gus Cantu and Russell Clark INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NETWORK SERVICES: Sandra Brooks, Johnny Hernandez and Mike Krzywonski

UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Robert Campbell and Jeb Thomas. In recognition of outstanding support provided by several other Facilities teams, the following teams were nominated for VPFSS Quarterly Team Awards.

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Health Professions 40th Anniversary Building Preparation Team The team brought the Health Professions building, including the grounds, up to an APPA Level 1 (Comprehensive Care) which is the first of its kind on the Texas State Campus. Custodial Operations, Structures-Paint Shop, and Grounds worked together to perfect the building inside and out for the Health Professions 40th Anniversary Celebration. Team Work is what made this project a success. The hard work and dedication was readily recognized by bystanders who admired the shinning masterpiece that was created. CUSTODIAL OPERATIONS: Danny Bautista, Kristopher Benitez, Eddie Camacho, Illiana Camarillo, Blanca Castillo, Justin Cervantez, Lisa Coker, Josie Cordero, Nicole Delgado, Jerry Flores, David Garcia, Delia Gonzales, Bill Grey, Ana Hicks, Derrick Hurtado, Gerald Juarez, Lawrence Martinez, Martin Mercado, Maria Morales, Rosie Ortiz, Marcus Pacheco, Manny Pantoja, Maria Posadas, Scott Plough, Vicky Robles, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Sal Rodriguez, Mary Sanchez, Francis Sandoval, Janice Taylor, Fermin Torrez, Sal Vasquez, and William Williams. PAINT SHOP: Mike Machado,

Henry Perez, Jeremy Rodriguez, and Larry Rodriguez. Smith House Facilities Team This team cut and chipped the downed trees, trimmed trees left in place and spread mulch around the property to conserve water and improve shrubbery beds. The appearance of the space around the Smith House was significantly improved and the flower beds benefitted from the newly applied mulch. The crew’s efforts to only take out the dead trees and be sensitive to the environment and setting were impressive. Their actions also improved the Frisbee Golf Course located behind the Smith House. The work was done in a very safe and efficient manner and we saw a lot of good team work and camaraderie among the crew. GROUNDS: Members: Carlos Pardo, Albert Gomez, Baldemar Zuniga, Gilbert Sanchez, Bobby DeLeon, Rick Rodriguez, Roy Johnson, Sam Perez, Nathan Lawrence, Jay Cody, Frank Ponce, and Brent Cochran. Theatre Building Facilities Team There was an unexpected break in the sanitary sewer lines under Theater that served the building. The building water supply had to be immediately shut off and an outside contractor was called in to make repairs. Our shop personnel provided assistance in shutting off the water, providing water, electrical, and portable restrooms and drinking water for the building occupants. They also assisted the contractor with the repair and recovery efforts. Much of the work was conducted under the building, on the water, from small

boats. There was no interruption of classes or camps. A potential environmental issue was avoided and new wastewater lines were installed, extending life of the service. These individuals provided outstanding customer service, often with little or short notice, under unusual and hazardous circumstances. Members: Steve Volk, James Norton, Gilbert Martinez, Raymond Delgado, Mario Mendez, Mike Seelinger, Ruben Prado, Richard Trevino, Jerry Cochran, Gloria Tobias, and Terry Taylor.

Tree Campus USA On behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation… congratulate Texas State University, San Marcos for achieving recognition as a 2012 Tree Campus USA®. Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota Motor North America, Inc., honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

To obtain this distinction, Texas State University, San Marcos has met the five core standards for

Page 3 of 6 sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects. Your entire campus community should be proud of this sustained commitment to environmental stewardship. For our 2011 Arbor Day event, 73 new trees were planted and provided Texas State with the coveted Tree Campus USA designation. The goal was to have a successful Arbor Day through coordination with the Arbor Day Foundation, Texas Forest Services, Toyota, and City of San Marcos. Working with Bobcat Build, Campus Recreation, Archaeology, the Campus Tree Advisory Committee, Facilities departments, and approximately 200 volunteers proved challenging, but the GROUNDS CREW prevailed: Members: Joe Rodriguez, Adam DeLeon, Arnold Hernandez, Josh Romero, Greg Sanchez, David Pardo, Juan Maldonado, Raymond Martinez, Rolando Bolanos, Alex Lopez, Larry Peralez, Sr., Sam Perez, Robert DeLeon, Brad Harrison, Roy Johnson, Jay Cody, Nathan Lawrence, Carlos Pardo, Albert Gomez, Bobby DeLeon, Baldemar Zuniga, Gilbert Sanchez, Rick Rodriguez, and Becky Johnson-Cronk. Water Variance Team To acquire a variance from the City of San Marcos to continue watering Texas State Grounds, Athletic and Recreational Fields

during stages of watering restrictions, Irrigation Techs were required to audit 64 irrigation valves, provide irrigation schedules for each value and a map showing location and boundaries of each field. While the audits were being accomplished, two irrigation techs were solely responsible for repairing and maintaining systems on campus during a critical drought with record breaking heat. MEMBERS: Adam DeLeon, Raymond Martinez, Arnold Hernandez, Josh Romero, Greg Sanchez, David Pardo, Juan Maldonado, Rolando Bolanos, Alex Lopez, Travis Wiebold, and Brad Smith Thank you to all for your hard work and superb support!

TRAINING DONE RIGHT The Custodial Operations Training Department offers training to the Custodial staff and to others in the University. In response to the need for all employees to complete mandatory Ethics and Compliance Training, Trainer, Margie Cameron suggested to the University’s Compliance Manager that our staff be allowed to complete the course offline. Ms. Coke not only agreed, but also sent a staff member from her office that was having difficulty with the online version to a session presented by Custodial Training. Custodial Operations strives to deliver the needed training to all staff members in a variety of topics; mandatory policy training and safety training as well as job enhancement and skill proficiency. In addition, we attempt to present that training ‘hands-on’ whenever

possible but always in a format that is appropriate to the staff’s needs.

Trainer Margie Cameron Custodial Operations Assistant Director is a certified instructor for the scissor lift and golf cart, Margie Cameron, Trainer is completing her Instructor Certification for CPR and Defensive Driving. Several management team members are certified golf cart instructors. We offer our training to our own staff but also to other university employees.

WE’VE GOT A NEW LOOK !

Be sure to check out the Facilities Gallery on the 1st floor of the Physical Plant. Psychology Building – New Name The Psychology building was built in 1918 by Jake Wattinger and Son. W.R. Hendrickson was the superintendent of masonry and C.H. Page and Brothers were the architects. This building was

Page 4 of 6 rehabilitated in 1929 and again in 1938. In 1942 it contained 42 classrooms, an auditorium, ten offices for teachers, store rooms for textbooks and a reference library.

Until 1952, grades seven through twelve of the San Marcos public schools were housed in it and it was utilized as the laboratory or training school for the college. In 1952 the San Marcos Independent School District built a new public school, and the rooms formerly used by the high school grades were utilized by the Education and Business Administration Departments. The building served as the Education Building until 1977 at which time it became the Psychology building. The building had a major renovation in 1980.

Because Psychology has moved to the Undergraduate Academic Center and Philosophy and Computer Science will occupy the building upon the completion of its renovation, we needed to change the name of the building. And while we no longer have to seek approval for a building name if it is not named for a person, it made sense to make this decision before the design was approved and renovation begins. In the past we have used the names of Texas Rivers for our

buildings. The university selected to name the building, Comal.

Comal River The river flows through the city of New Braunfels and is known as the shortest river (2 and one-half miles) in Texas. This highly utilized waterway has been found to be suitable for most types of recreational usage almost year round since there is always an adequate water supply from the hill country springs located within the city. –Michael Petty UTILITIES NEWS

Doug Bynum is officially our new Manager, Operations and Energy. He continues to lead the Technical Services group and now leads Plant Operators and energy management initiatives. Doug is responsible for the operations of all four thermal plants in a safe, effective, efficient and reliable manner. He is also responsible for all digital building and plant automation systems and the fire alarm controls. This combination of responsibilities allows Doug and his teams to make collaborative operations decisions to drive for reduced energy and water use while meeting the demands of the campus. Doug reports to Mario Molina.

GROUNDS TEAMWORK

Joe Rodriguez, Adam DeLeon, Greg Sanchez, David Pardo, Arnold Hernandez, Raymond Martinez, Juan Maldonado, Rolando Bolanos, Josh Romero, Jay Cody, Carlos Pardo, Rick Rodriguez, Bobby DeLeon, Albert Gomez and Nathan Lawrence all received a JITA for their project outside JCK involving Lattice, irrigation and new plantings. New Grandparent!

David Morris of PD&C welcomed “Colie” on January 16, 2013. The baby weighed in at 8lbs and 20.5 inches. Parents Nicole and Jared Valerio, are very proud.

KUDOS / CONGRATULATIONS Custodial: I just wanted to extend a thank you to Val Marrero and Heather Bristow over at Old Main for being so helpful while I was working on a water fountain. They made sure I had everything I needed to keep my work area clean. These ladies do a fine job. Please let them know they are appreciated.

Page 5 of 6 I also wanted to comment on the cleanliness of Nueces. While doing a PM on the building I was amazed at the gleam of all the chrome. It looked as if it had just been pulled out of the box. I know Paula Alvarez has been there for a while and does a great job. It was about lunch time while talking to her and she asked what I was doing for lunch. I told her I was going to get my lunch and eat right here on the floor. She laughed and I replied that I wasn't kidding and felt that it was that clean. She certainly deserved the employee of the month she received. -Chad Wendel, Plumbing Paint Shop: I wanted to send a letter of appreciation for two of your employees, Miguel Machado and Larry Rodriguez, both from the paint shop. Today as one of our custodians was hauling large quantities of trash up a hill, looking for a dumpster, they stopped and told the custodian to put all the trash in the back of their truck and they would take it to the nearest dumpster, since there was no dumpster in the area. Both of these guys showed great team work and it is great to see the willingness to help one another. –Jon Gaddis, Custodial Award: On April 5th, 2013, Susan Davey is receiving a prestigious award for service to the community and Texas State University, from the Who’s Who among College Students Chapter at Texas State University. This award is being granted because of her work as the author of standards of care and operations for Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Evacuation for Skilled Nursing Facilities which are in use nation-

wide by Medicare, for her continuing service as an Ally of Texas State, her participation as a Mentor in the Bobcat Bond program, where she is currently working with a student having returned from serving in the United States Air Force, and for her work as the ASME University of Texas at Austin Scholarship Committee Judges. In addition, Susan will graduate from Texas State University, Summa Cum Laude in May 2013. She will have earned her Master of English, with an emphasis in Technical Communication. RETIREMENT

After 10 years with Custodial Operations, Eufrasia (Francis) Sandoval retired January 31, 2013.

CUSTODIAL ATTENDS SEMINAR

Delia Gonzales tries out new equipment while Chris Miller looks on at a recent seminar for Water Restoration.

Son Makes Dean’s List! Jeremy Gonzales, son of Rudy Gonzales (co-gen) a sophomore at North Texas State, just made the Dean’s List. Congrats, Rudy and family!

BURKEPILE JUST KEEPS GOING

Many of you may remember 14 year old freshman Aviana Burkepile, daughter of Mike Burkepile (AC) winning the “San Marcos has Talent” finals last November. She was then selected

Page 6 of 6 to perform at Carnegie Hall in February. The performance was limited to the highest rated high school performers from across North America. Congratulations Mike and family!

MEN AT WORK

Michael Callihan (plumber) getting his PM’s done.

Rick Rodriguez (grounds) working hard on a picnic area at the Physical Plant.

Guillermo Nieri (PD&C) hard at work at North Campus Housing.

Steve Marlow (PD&C) filling a street barrier-like we need another road closure!

Freddy Duran, (carpenter) preparing a project.

FACILITIES WAREHOUSE

Adam Gonzales (procurement) helps David Smith (Elect) with supplies.

UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES

Custodial Tech Eddie Camacho providing Electric and Structures Shops with upright and back-pac vacuums.

To submit information or comments, please contact Kim Graves, editor at kg04. Bobcat Bobbie is used with permission of Athletics and Bryan Miller.