Physical Plant Christmas Party All Physical Plant staff are invited to the annual-
Physical Plant Christmas Party December 19
Noon - 3 PM
Woodlawn Ministry Center Lunch will be proved by Creative Dining. Please bring a $10 gift for a gift exchange Special thanks to FISH WINDOW CLEANING for covering the cost of the meal
Holiday Hours/Web Time 2012-2013 Christmas Holiday Schedule Friday, December 21 (Discretionary Holiday) Monday, December 24 (moved from 1/2/2012) Tuesday, December 25 Wednesday, December 26 Thursday, December 27 Friday, December 28 Monday, December 31 Tuesday, January 1 (part of the 2013 holiday calendar year)
IMPORTANT: READ BELOW!!!!!! When do hours for pay period ending 12/22/12 need to be submitted and/or approved? Time card entry cut off times will be 2PM on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19th. Supervisor approval is required by 5pm on WEDNESDAY, DECMBER 19th. Note: It may be wise to submit your web time prior to attending the Physical Plant Christmas Party scheduled for December 19th.
What is a “Discretionary Day”? A discretionary day is term given to an additional day with pay provided to eligible college support staff for a special occasion. Eligible employees will receive pay for the amount of hours regularly scheduled to be worked.
How do I record the discretionary day (Dec 21st) in Web Time? In “Other Time Hours” add the amount of hours regularly scheduled to have been worked on 12/21/12. In “Other Time Types” use the drop down arrow to select “Discretionary”. All other days listed above, should be recorded as “Paid Holiday Leave” hours during the appropriate pay period
Water Main Breaks Thanks to the Mechanical and Grounds departments for their rapid response to the two water main breaks this past month. One break was located near “The Cheese” sculpture. Once the water supply was valved shut, the sidewalk and curbing had to be removed and the soil excavated to ~6’ deep. The Mechanical and Grounds staff then repaired the leak by banding the pipe. There was no obvious cause for the pipe breakage other than old age. The walk had to be repaved and the curb re-poured with concrete. Due to the quick thinking of the staff plumbers, and “the loop” water supply system, very few departments were effected by the water shutdown. Just last week, another water main break occurred near the Hampshire Gate. This break was in a lateral line serving the last two homes on Hampshire Street. The homes are owned by Calvin College, yet the water infrastructure is serviced by the City of Grand Rapids. Charlie Huizinga, Calvin Grounds, worked closely with the City to understand “who was responsible for what”. After fully understanding each parties’ responsibilities, the City of Grand Rapids quickly responded to the leak. Both homes were without water service for several hours. The cause, although not the fault of the contractor, is believed to be related to the upgraded water supply added during the SFC construction, four years earlier. A “cap” on an old line is believed to have failed.
E. Beltline: Fiber Optics This past month, TurnKey Network Solutions has been installing fiber optic cabling within the E. Beltline right-of-way. The contractor worked closely with the Grounds Department to ensure that that no underground utilities were damaged during the direct burial process. The project was very successful as there were few issues and minimal site damage.
Key/Door Hardware Update In December, student Nick Balsamo completed his employment with Physical Plant after working for the last two and a half years as an assistant to Ed Van Beek in the college lockshop. Nick started during the reconstruction of the CFAC and he made most of the keys and pinned many of the lock cylinders for that project. However, the primary purpose of his employment was to update the “Key Data.” Much of the data existed only on paper or in the memory of current staff members. The data has now been compiled into a searchable database, shared with Campus Safety, which includes every room on campus and every building owned by Calvin. Nick also updated the physical key box inventory to coincide with the new database. While organizing tens of thousands of data points, Nick’s attention to detail turned up multiple inaccuracies in the records, some going back decades. In addition, he learned CAD (Computer Assisted Design) from Don Levy so that he could build an alternative visual representation of the data which will greatly enhance data accuracy into the future. His work will help insure that Calvin’s “institutional memory” stays with the college. Nick, a Chicago native, had never heard of Calvin before he typed ‘Christian college’ in a web search several years ago. He will leave Calvin next May with a double major in Business and Economics as well as a minor in International Development. He will spend his last semester working for Professor Van Drunen as a course assistant for Advanced Corporate Finance in the Business Department.
Last summer, Nick worked as an intern for Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were so impressed with his work that they offered him a job upon completion of his senior year, and he will be moving there following graduation. Blessings to you, Nick, as you move on to bigger and better things.
December Birthdays Work Orders accepted in November Architecture
124
Mechanical
266
Grounds
0
EHS
3
Design
2
Building Services KE Dorms Academic Buildings
30 81 10
Seminary
2
Prince Conf. Center
12
Total:
530
2—Larry Van Hoe 8—Romery Diaz 8—Dean Michelson 21—Tim Bakelaar 28—Frank Block
Upcoming Dates & Events December 1—River City Improv @ 7:33 pm December 1—Oratorio –Messiah @ 8:00 pm December 7—Fall Classes End December 14—Christmas Break for students December 15—River City Improv @ 7:33 pm December 24-January 1—Christmas Break for Faculty and Staff December 25—Christmas Day
This Month’s Funny Work Orders... “OUR SHOWER HOSE IS DISCONNECTED!!!! We can’t get it to get back on. 4 girls without a functioning shower, yikes! You guys rock, thanks!!!” “The bathroom sink is clogged. It’s my fault...accidentally some oatmeal got in there and then our hair. Gross! I know! =) Your kind service would be greatly appreciated. WE LOVE THE PHYSICAL PLANT!” “This morning I worked on my swimming skills while in the shower. You see, the drain is not functioning properly and the water is getting backed up. It could be due to our flowing locks clogging the drain...could you check?”
November Vehicle Rentals Calvin fleet car
22
Calvin fleet minivan
6
Calvin fleet large van
40
Off-Campus Rental car
28
Off-Campus Rental minivan
9
Off-Campus Rental large van
25
Commercial Coach
31
Total:
“The small urinal doesn’t drain properly. I tried a plunger, the results were not pretty. Thanks for all that you do.” “We need some Christmas cheer around here. Please put up our decorations! Thank you! =)”
Staff Updates Matt Hoekzema’s back surgery went well. He is back at work and says thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers. We would also like to welcome Marc Armstead to the Physical Plant. He is the new Grounds temp worker doing snow plowing. Please help us welcome him when you see him!
161
Building Services Set-ups In November, Building Services set up (and tore down) 560 different special events across campus!
Contact Info Calvin College Physical Plant 1475 Knollcrest Circle Grand Rapids, MI 49546
E-mail: plant@calvin.edu Phone: (616) 526-6444 Fax: (616) 526-8563
Visit us at www. calvin.edu/admin/physicalplant