January 2012

P ROPERTY M ANAGEMENT V OLUME 4, ISSUE 3

AND

O PERATIONS

J ANUARY 2012

S PRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER !!

After a nice, rather balmy winter so far, (sans the snow and wind of course!) spring is just around the corner ! Here’s our brief “what’s happening” around here— projects, security, gallery rentals, ongoing sustainability initiatives…..

year and into the next fiscal year. We should have our consultant’s review and report in February (delayed from November as the baseline is still underway) for forwarding to BC Hydro. 

Project Update Energy Monitoring Project 

We are still participating in the Continuous Optimization Program with our partner, BC Hydro.

Over the past 12 months we have been monitoring our energy usage and establishing a baseline that will be used to move us forward with some quick and easy energy upgrades that have a 2-yr or less payback period— beginning later this fiscal

A recent water leak (and previous salt water leaks from years ago) from the tide pool and the sea otter cave area has caused some structural damage to steel Q-Deck areas in Newcombe South (NS), the Volunteer Lounge (VL) and two vertical columns behind the sea otter cave.

Structural repair work and

Check it out - we are now live! Our Pulse Energy dashboard (the large screen beside Reception in Clifford Carl Hall) is now showing our real time energy consumption for our three BC Hydro meters. You can also access the dashboard through our website.

Helmcken House and St. Ann’s Schoolhouse 

Window and roofing repairs and other infrastructure maintenance work is still underway. A new cedar roof has now

work to the tide pool and sea otter cave is estimated at ~$90,000+ and includes the welding of new steel channels in NS and the VL, repair to cracks in the concrete, application of waterproof membrane, installation of water sensors, installation of new piping and stainless steel pans/trays.

The structural repair work

been installed on St. Ann’s Schoolhouse.

Helmcken House fence has been repaired as a section blew down in high winds. The remaining work should be completed sometime this spring.

HVAC Projects 

Even though we have been dealing with a few ongoing issues (particularly with the 3rd floor infill space), the HVAC systems in the Temporary and First Peoples Gallery have been maintaining a temperature of ~19.9 degrees & a relative humidity of ~49%. To make it more comfortable for our visitors, we have

A DDITIONAL L INKS :

www.bchydro.com www.crd.bc.ca www.livesmartbc.ca

I IN THIS ISSUE : P ROJECT U PDATES

1

P ROJECTS & PMO U PDATE

2

DID YOU KNOW ?

2

…….. Con’t pg 2

in some areas is completed.

We had to temporarily relocate the VL and relocate some archival records to undertake after hours welding work – so many thanks for helping relocate the records and accommodating the disruption in your areas! Repairs to the tide pool, sea otter cave area is now underway.

O UR R ECYCLING P ROGRAM STATS : G LASS / TIN = 2683 CU FT O RGANICS = 2012 CU FT C ARDBOARD = 11232 CU FT SHREDDED PAPER 1980 LBS I T IS E STIMATED THAT NINE - 40 FOOT TRAILER LOADS KEPT OUT OF THE LANDFILL EACH YEAR !!

P ROPERTY M ANAGEMENT

P AGE 2 S T A NN ’ S N EW R OOF

Column behind Tide Pool Chiller Tanks

Fiberglass in Otter Cave peeling

F ACILITY R ENTALS CHAT W E ALREADY HAVE EVENTS , ALBEIT TENTATIVELY BOOKED INTO

2016! F OR M ORE INFO , C ALL J UDITH 387-5745 D ID YOU KNOW ?.... OUR CORPORATE CATERERING PARTNER , T RUFFLES C ATERING , ARE OCEAN WISE CERTIFIED . T HEIR COOKING OILS ARE RECYCLED FOR BIOFUEL AND THEY COMPOST ALL ORGANICS .

CONTACT US :

PMO TEAM

P AM , T ANYA , J ON, F RANCOIS, B ILL , J UDITH & C OLLEEN ….

O PERATIONS

( CON ’ T ) increased the temperature to a set point of 21 degrees C (with agreement from Conservation). The humidity and temperature are holding steady with very few swings.

STRUCTURAL REPAIR

AND

What else is new and other “Stuff”:

Tip of the day is……. don’t idle your vehicle—it gets you nowhere, it can be costly (wastes money and fuel) and you won’t produce carbon dioxide, the principle greenhouse gas contributing to climate change! (source: Natural Resources Canada)

In October 2011, our Environmental Consultant completed Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) asbestos testing in various areas within the Exhibition building. No asbestos fibres were observed in any of the air samples and all of the results are well within WorkSafe BC guidelines and limits.

Did you know that we have a recycling station set up in Clifford Carl Hall. This station is for you and our visitors and has bins for compost waste, pop/bottle and paper/newpaper. The station is on the wall just outside of Willies Café. We also have stations in the lunchroom and student lunchroom.

This is the 5th round of TEM air sampling that we have undertaken since May 2010 for the determination of airborne asbestos fibres.

Ol’ man winter has arrived (and hopefully we have seen the last of that white fluffy stuff that was left behind….) but even though it has warmed up a tad, we can still change our behavior to conserve energy. A BC Hydro Power Smart tip from one of their senior engineer techie’s says that the best (most conservation impact) behavior change is to focus on hot water –which represents 2033% of the energy use in a home! So… pull back on those long hot showers and baths; switch to using cold water for laundry and turn down your hot water tank (no lower than 55 C and no higher than 60 C).

As per our consultant's discussion with WorkSafe BC, we will continue to undertake regular TEM asbestos testing and our next TEM will be undertaken sometime in June 2012.

Check out our website as our 2010 Carbon Neutral Action Report (CNAR) that was filed with the Climate Action Secretariat has been posted. To meet our 2010 carbon neutral commitment under the BC’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, our carbon offset payment for 2010 at $25 per tonne was $4,720 excluding applicable taxes. We are just preparing our 2011 CNAR report and will have our emissions confirmed sometime in February and the report will be ready for our CEO’s signature!

Your easy Greenhouse Gas

Check your home—wherever you have cold air coming in, you have a leak. Other BC Hydro tips include… 

Manage your thermostat.

Minimize wasted energy and heat your home strategically. Turn down the thermostat when you go to sleep…...zzzzzzzzz.



Maintain your heating sys-

tem—keeping your heating (and cooling—since summer is just around the corner!) well maintained can go a long way. 

Why not try an indoor drying rack for some items?

Reminder— join Team Power Smart (it’s free to sign up!) as they always have lots of tips and information—it’s only a few clicks on the keyboard! http://www.bchydro.com L IVE S MART BC “ FREE ” ACTIONS T IPS ………..

(H TTP :// WWW . LIVESMARTBC . CA )

S ECURITY T IP OF THE D AY !

Visitor Service and Security?

They can be one and the same!

A common impression is that these two important areas of our work our mutually exclusive. Not so! Not only is it great visitor service to politely engage our visitors with a warm greeting, it is also a critical security function— would-be perpetrators do not like to be identified, and such interactions generally encourage the person to move elsewhere to commit their nefarious deeds.

Eye contact is particularly effective in this, as is the opening of dialogue—ask the visitor if they need assistance or if you can help them find something of interest for example. This is also a highly effective technique for your personal safety as well when alone, and will discourage would-be attackers in just the same manner. Here’s to the power of visitor service!