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Taking a break
Not everyone will be off on break
Facilities crews toil hardest while students take spring vacation
by Merceda Ares Kansan staff writer
Life goes on, even during Spring Break, on the KIJ campus.
Most students are away sunning themselves, swooshing down slopes or just banging their legs up and down. Operations will be deep-cleaning carpet and repairing air compressors.
And praying for warm weather.
Robert Porter, associate director of physical plant maintenance for facilities operations, said one important task would be performed if the weather was warm enough.
"We're planning the annual steam down," Porter said. "We either do it at Spring break or before commencement. We'd like to have it about 40 degrees."
When the steam is shut off, there won't be any heat in the buildings. However, Porter said a building could hold its heat for several days.
but there must be heat to begin with.
"That's why we need the weather to be cool."
People performing experiments in the buildings will be given sufficient notice, he said.
Porter said if the annual steam shut-down was not performed, a malfunction could
'W
We really take advantage of the periods when students are gone. Actually, we need about four periods like that.'
— Phil Endacott associate director of housekeeping for facilities operations
happen at an inconvenient time.
Russell Buchholz, assistant director of preventive maintenance for facilities operations, said Spring Break was the best time to take advantage of the near-empty buildings.
"We've always got some kind of work that we're needing to do." Buchholz said.
he said his 18-member crew would look at
repairing air compressor in lab buildings.
Air compressors are used for climate control.
cont. "If we lose a contained air compressor up here, it could cause the entire structure to overheat in the winter." Buchholz said.
While maintenance is working on interior repairs, housekeeping will work on improving the exterior.
Phil Endacott, associate director of housekeeping for facilities operations, said his department did thorough housecleaning over Spring Break.
"That's when we work our hardest," he said. "We really take advantage of the periods when students are gone. Actually, we need about four periods like that."
Endacott aired a normal 600-square-foot
carroom could take two people four or five
passengers.
"It's very labor-intensive," he said, "If we shampoo the carpets, it may take 24 hours for them to dry. It doesn't do any good to do that if dirty shoes are going to come
However, not every section will receive attention this time.
"We won't get them all," Endacott said.
"We'll start with the ones we didn't get last time and just keep cycling."
The housekeeping department normally has 100 people come in from 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 50 come in from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Endacott said this schedule would not change during Spring Break.
"Many of our people have babysisters and those are really kind of weird schedules, so we don't want to disrupt their personal lives."
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Don't Spoil Your Spring Break!!
KANSAN Taking a break/March 1, 1989 25