We all appreciate being recognized for the work that we do. Recently, the Sigma Pi fraternity hosted an "UnSung Heroes" Dinner for our second shift workers. FM folks were treated to a spread of burgers (meat & veggie), potato salad, beans, chips, soft drinks and cookies as way of honoring their contributions to the U. The Sigma Pi guys solicited donations and made contributions to purchase the meal. Next they transformed the house into a first class restaurant, seating and serving their guests. Good food and good conversation were shared along with some competitive Foosball games. Not to forget the third shift, Sigma Pi also delivered doughnuts as a late night thank you.
HEAPR List
Each fiscal year, which begins July 1, we start a new budget. Different funds of money pay for the different services we provide. One such source is called the Higher Education Asset Preservation Replacement (HEAPR) fund. We asked the State for $100 million in these funds as part of our overall Capital Request of the State. The final bill approved by the Governor provided the University with $35 million of which $30 million will be spent on the Twin Cities campus. Next we worked with our customers, our partners (Code Office, Accessibility, Environmental Health, etc.) and District staff to refine our project list. We will be publicizing out total list of projects soon, which includes: a new electrical switch station for St. Paul, new sprinklers and fire systems in Amundson, water infiltration corrections to Borlaug Hall, several elevator replacements, several roof replacements, and a replacement steam line. Our goal will be to get all of those funds under contract as quickly as possible.
Save The Date
Mark your calendars for the 2008 Facilities Management All-Employee Picnic, which will be held on Saturday, June 21. More details on the location, time and activities will be announced in the coming weeks, but we wanted to give everyone advanced notice for planning purposes.
Great Performance – Matt Berg, Rick Schwarz and Jeff Hayes
Recently the U hosted a Shade Tree course that brought folks in from around the country. One of the featured speakers was Dave Leonard who has been an officer in the International Society of Arboriculture for 20 years and a practicing arborist for almost 40 years. Bottom line, this guy knows trees. As he was being driven through campus Dave commented, “These trees are in great shape. Whoever is taking care of them knows how to prune and manage trees.” While we often get compliments on our campus, it’s particularly great to hear them from an expert. Thank you Mr. Berg, Mr. Schwarz and Mr. Hayes!
Keep up the good work.
Mike
