A DAY WITH FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

By Maeve Browne ‘25

“Trust me, you’ll be fine.” These were the words spoken to me by John Vaughan, Athletic Grounds Foreperson, at Sage Rink as I was riding the famous Hamilton zamboni. Yes, riding it.

Let’s backtrack a bit. Vaughan is a member of the hardworking Facilities Management Staff here at Hamilton. With the help of locksmith Frank Ostrosky, I spent an afternoon stepping into the shoes (or vehicles) of these vital members of our community. The first situation we encountered was replacing a sign on College Hill Road that had fallen down due to a high speed chase. Phil Dudajek and Derrick Baker dug out a perfect rectangle where the postage once was, and added a new foundation, completing this task with smiles on their faces.

Next up was visiting Natasha Gadek, who was busy fixing the electrical board of a lamp post that had malfunctioned next to the Annex. Not only is this job chal- lenging (especially when Gadek climbed up a ladder to physically adjust the bulb at the top), but each lamp post on campus is controlled by its own individual electric system. Essentially, this means if multiple ones break, Gadek and other mechanics have to adjust them one at a time. She asked me at the end of our photoshoot if I got any good pictures. Little did she know every shot perfectly captured her zeal and excitement that helps keep our campus alive at nighttime.

While Ostrosky and I drove to our next stop at Taylor Science Center, he explained to me the daily ins and outs of his job: “There are only two locksmiths on this campus,” he explained to me. Shocked, I replied, “I didn’t even realize we had any!”

He laughed and began to educate me on his plethora of responsibilities. Ever gotten locked out of your dorm? He’ll let you in. Or is the bathroom door in your hall missing a lock? Ostrosky is on the case. But physical locks aren’t the only thing under his authority; he’s also responsible for the black boxes we swipe our Hill Cards on to get into dorms and buildings. Despite this tremendous burden, Ostrosky spoke about his job fervently. He truly loves what he does, and we love him for it.

At the Science Center, we met up with the extremely skilled Clayton Bryant. He was in the process of touching up the paint job of one of the restrooms. Ostrosky’s description of Bryant as an extraordinary artist lived up to its expectation. Every wall (including each hard to reach corner) was perfectly covered in smooth paint.

Our last stop was at the Sage Ice Rink. We joined John Vaughan and Cary Kicinski, who were preparing for the Citrus Bowl that night, where it's tradition for students to throw oranges on to the ice rink during the hockey game.

“I’d find that to be incredibly annoying.” I told Vaughan.

“No! We think it’s fun.” He explained to me how old photographs of the game showed gallons of oranges on the rink. “But it can be a little challenging to clean up.”

Then, I continued to have the experience of a lifetime: actually riding the zamboni. Under the safe supervision of Kicinski, Ostrosky, and Vaughan, I hopped on the nearly nine foot tall vehicle and began to hesitantly inch forward. “It’s hard to see, right?” Shouted Vaughan. In fact, it was almost impossible to see any upcoming turns or anything right below.

Much like my brief interaction on the zamboni, all of the work done by the members of the Facilities Management team is challenging and strenuous. Yet, every individual I met that day greeted me with a smile as well as a willingness to help with whatever I needed. The Facilities staff are the lifeblood of our college, and we truly could not function without them.