Facilities Update

In response to COVID-19 and its financial uncertainties, several capital improvement projects previously planned for the German Club Manor, some long overdue, were deferred into fiscal 2022. With the situation greatly improving in the spring of 2021 and with GCAF’s commitment to move forward with the 130th Anniversary at the Manor, recommendations were provided by the Facilities Committee for implementation in the summer of 2021 as an aggressive plan to prepare the Manor. Approval by the GCAF Finance Committee, Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors was obtained, and capital improvements and maintenance projects began right away.

Almost immediately, new carpet for the Gordon Ballroom, Ballroom Foyer, Alumni Hall Foyer, and the GCAF and Club Offices was selected, ordered, and scheduled to be installed over the 2021 winter break. While the Manor’s original rolled carpet color palette was maintained, the decision was made to modernize the look with a “medallion-like” pattern and to provide greater ease of care and replacement with large one meter carpet squares in the Gordon Ballroom areas and smaller one-half meter squares in the smaller rooms. Sufficient excess carpet squares were also obtained for future use should damage occur. In addition, the decision was made to carpet the coat room and recarpet the Alumni Hall women’s restroom lounge at no additional cost thanks to a generous offer by the contractor. Greatly and positively accenting the final carpet look and feel was the purchase, production, and installation of new custom-made draperies for both the Gordon Ballroom and Dekker Conference Room (thanks to Becky Oaksmith).

Simultaneous with the carpet order, a contract was obtained to have the Manor’s exterior pressure washed, repaired, and painted, as there was unfortunately much long-term damage to be repaired and replaced, particularly at the Cutchins Terrace entryway and at the porte-cochere. With this portion of renovations underway, it was determined that the slate surface under the Manor’s front entrance needed repair and repointing due to broken pieces and large cracks. Completed in September 2021, the Manor’s entire exterior including all exterior stonework, front entrance columns, and stone walls were now ready for football season!

But most things never go exactly as planned in the world of facilities, and sure enough, during a late summer rental event, Alumni Hall’s parquet wood floor was extensively damaged by negligent guests. Gouges in the floor were such that the entire floor required complete re-sanding and finishing. After consultation with GCAF Board Member lawyers and insurance estimators, the decision was

made to file an insurance claim, pay the deductible, and fix the flooring.

Throughout the past year, continued upgrades and repairs to the Manor’s fire detection, monitoring, and extinguishing system were necessary for life safety. While certainly not a visible or glamorous feature, maintaining the operation of this system is in our best interest, as many of you may recall the early 80’s sprinkler fiasco.

As the 2021 Virginia Tech Hokies football season ended, and within a week of the last tailgating car departing the Manor lawn, semi-trucks arrived with over 50,000 lbs. of pavers and bricks for the construction of the “Foundation for the Future” paver courtyard at Cutchins Terrace. With the need to be ready by the 130th Anniversary and only five months away, more than sufficient time was seemingly allocated – but ultimately proved necessary – to combat the cold and wet weather synonymous with the typical Blacksburg winter. The electrical infrastructure on Cutchins Terrace was repaired and upgraded, and new ground mounted lighting made the new paver area simply fantastic. An initial installation of 375 personally inscribed pavers so generously donated by our alumni, 10 of which honor our German Club men who gave their lives in service to our Nation, the new paver memorial courtyard was without a doubt the most impactful “addition” and destination for photographs during the 130th Anniversary weekend.

Approved at the Fall 2021 Board Meeting, one of the most intrusive (and long overdue) capital improvements to the Manor commenced. Eight of the Manor’s ten heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) units (all nearly 30 years old), far beyond their life expectancy and thus increasingly troublesome to maintain, were replaced. Several Gordon Ballroom HVAC failures had recently occurred, so with an effort and commitment to not incur any problems at the 130th Anniversary, eight new large and small units were ordered. However, the ugly head of “pandemic supply chain delays” reared up, and only four units were installed prior to the 130th Anniversary. Fortunately, the weekend went off without any issues and the remaining units were installed prior to the end of the academic year.

Several other improvements were made during this past year, and though while not as noticeable, they will contribute greatly to efficiency and cost-savings in our Manor operations. A much lighter and magnetic dance floor for the Gordon Ballroom was purchased, which is something past Club members can surely appreciate. Continued facilities upgrades include: upgrading interior and exterior lighting to LED, finishing and resealing all exterior parking lots, upgrading the driveway entrance lighting, and repairing several Guest House and Manor bollards. To further address security concerns, all exterior dusk-to-dawn lighting has been repaired, and multiple new fixtures were installed at the Manor’s port-cochere and on the Cutchins Terrace.

Looking forward to the coming year, the Facilities Committee fully recognizes that great effort and expense has been expended to bring the German Club Manor not only back up to speed, but where it needed to be for our 130th Anniversary. Through the efforts of Colonel Tom Dalzell ’57, the Facilities Committee has begun development of a maintenance and sustainability plan to avoid getting behind in routine maintenance and repairs. Future budget requests and capital improvement priorities will have increased focus on upkeep and sustainability. The next priority is the repair, resealing, and restriping of the driveway and parking lots - which is now underway and will be ready for tailgating season. Focus in the near future shall be to refresh the Alumni Hall men’s and women’s restrooms, while we also continue to evaluate cost-effective means to update the Dekker Conference Room. Longer term, and recognizing high costs and budgetary requirements, plans to finalize the remaining lighting upgrades in the Gordon Ballroom continue.

I greatly appreciate the help and commitment of fellow members of the GCAF Facilities Committee over the past year. It has been an incredibly successful year for the preservation of our German Club Manor.

R. Craig Balzer Vice President of Facilities Class of 1979