Tag Archives: facilities

News & Achievements Archive

Facilities Planning and Management completes key projects over the summer

During the summer months, Facilities Planning and Management works hard to complete key construction and repair projects in time for the beginning of the fall semester. Many of these initiatives are part of the regular capital improvement budget, while others are made possible through gifts or grants. In each and every case, we take seriously our commitment to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Below is a list the activities you may notice as we begin a new academic year.

Projects completed or nearing completion:

• New roof at the Legal Clinic
• New windows in Goodwin-Kirk walkways
• Upgrade to south dining facility at Hubbell
• Installation of camera on the Ross parking lots
• Repair to the roof at Morehouse
• Wall repair and painting at Morehouse
• New chiller east of the Campus
• Elevator upgrades at Knapp, Aliber, Cowles, Cartwright, Old Main, Carnegie, and the Occupational Therapy building
• Replacement of the Aliber skylights
• Carpet replacement projects at Carnegie, Old Main, and Fine Arts
• Stucco repair and painting at Alumni House
• Lighting upgrades at Cartwright, Opperman, and Knapp
• Door replacement on the south-end of the Fine Arts Center
• Renovation of Law Review area in Cartwright
• Completion of Science Connector Building
• Completion of Collier-Scripps Hall
• Steamline repairs at the Olmsted Center and Cowles Library
• Lighting upgrades
• Door replacement at Fine Arts Center

Future projects:

• South electrical switch at Fine Arts Center
• Ray Promenade
• Renovation of the south end of 3206 University (soon to be Human Resources)
• Renovation of Ray Institute (soon to be Drake International)
• Many other department moves across the campus

Each year we update a comprehensive deferred maintenance and repair list and share it with key leaders and departments across campus. This process helps us prepare for the planning of the next summer’s work. A special thank you to all the members of the Facilities Planning and Management team who helped complete these projects.

— Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management

News & Achievements Archive

Drake expands commitment to sustainability

Drake recently became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education to further campus efforts toward building a healthy and sustainable campus. Through membership in AASHE, Drake will receive support in advancing its sustainability initiatives throughout the institution and in the community.

“AASHE counts on the support of progressive institutions like Drake University to fulfill its mission of facilitating leadership to transform our planet,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “As the gateways to knowledge, higher education institutions have a unique opportunity to make sustainability part of everyone’s agenda. I welcome Drake University to our family of colleges, universities, associations and businesses driving the transformation to a sustainable world.”

AASHE enables higher education institutions to meet their sustainability goals by providing specialized resources, professional development, and a network of peer support. Membership covers every individual at an institution, so the entire campus community can take advantage of member benefits by using their Drake email to create an account under the membership tab at www.aashe.org.

“We are happy to have Drake University join AASHE and take an active role within this community as we all work to advance sustainability,” shared Meghan Fay Zahniser. “We invite students, faculty and staff at the institution to visit our site and create an AASHE account. This will allow everyone to take advantage of the member only resources, free webinars and discounts to our annual conference. AASHE also offers extensive online resources and discussion forums for professional development and sharing knowledge.”

AASHE hosts the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a comprehensive campus sustainability rating system that enables institutions to measure their progress and learn from others, www.aashe.org/stars. With STARS as a roadmap, institutions can select meaningful and appropriate pathways to sustainability while conserving valuable resources, combating global warming, and building healthier communities. Drake will be assessing the campus this fall to determine the STARS rating and sharing that information in a future OnCampus article.

— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning and Management

Campus Announcements Archive

New cardboard compactor improves recycling on campus

Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) installed a cardboard-only compactor near the loading dock behind Hubbell Dining Hall over the summer. Hubbell and the Olmsted Center use the most cardboard packaging on campus. By strategically locating the cardboard compactor near these buildings, other dumpsters can be concealed and placed out of public view, labor and equipment hours can be minimized, and recycle disposal fees can be reduced. The recycling plant actually pays the University for providing pure cardboard.

For small, sporadic cardboard recycling needs, the single-stream recycling dumpsters should still be used. However, if you have a large amount of cardboard to dispose of, due to a large shipment of equipment or supplies, please contact FPM for assistance in moving it to the compactor.

Last year, Drake recycled more than 163 tons of recyclables, including cardboard, and so far this year, Drake has recycled 75 tons of materials. Click here to review Drake’s recycling guidelines to ensure materials are being recycled correctly and responsibly. Just because an item has a recycle symbol and number, does not mean it is recyclable through the Central Iowa Plant.

It’s important to note that the plant cannot recycle hard cover books. In order for these to be recycled, the cover needs to be removed and placed in the trash, and then the remainder can be recycled.

— Mitch Wieczorek, Facilities Planning and Management

Campus Announcements Archive

Important campus operations update

Thanksgiving break door access

Due to the University closing at noon on Nov. 25, we will be locking doors to most campus buildings at 1 p.m. Card access will still allow you to access your authorized buildings, they will just be locked to the general public. Regular door schedule will resume on Sunday, Nov. 29.

Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time, or email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.

Happy Thanksgiving!

—Submitted by Sara Heijerman, Manager, Campus Card Office

 

Building heating for 2015–2016

Campus is now set for the heating season with all systems up and running and cooling generally shut down and being winterized. Because the bulk of campus is cooled with water based cooling systems, they must be drained and in many cases winterized to prevent freezing. Once this is done they cannot be turned back on until warm temperatures in the spring. Facility Services begins this process prior to temperatures dropping below 32 degrees.

The University has adopted uniform temperature settings for heating and cooling: heating temperature is 68 degrees and cooling temperature is 77 degrees. In 2003 the University Sustainability Committee recommended energy efficient temperature set points for University buildings to the President’s Cabinet, which ratified the recommendation at that time. The set points were guided by the federal recommended set points, those used in federal buildings, and those recommended by MidAmerican energy for maximum efficiency and energy sustainability. These set points are intended for common spaces, classrooms and labs, offices and administrative spaces, athletic facilities, and auditoriums. Residence hall rooms are still on their own control and can be regulated to suit the resident’s liking.

—Submitted by Mark Chambers, Director Facility Services


Scheduled electrical shutdowns

On Nov. 25, a scheduled electrical shutdown will occur from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., affecting the following buildings: The Knapp Center, Fieldhouse, Bell Center, and Shivers Basketball Practice Facility. This scheduled shutdown is part of the electrical project that needs to be completed prior to the construction of the new School of Education/Computer Science and Mathematics Building and the new Science Connector Building.

Another scheduled electrical shutdown will occur on Nov. 27, from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., affecting the Fine Arts Center and Olin Hall. This scheduled shutdown is a routine shutdown that occurs ever year the day after Thanksgiving. This allows Facilities Services to clean the electrical transformer on campus.

—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations & Support Servi

Campus Announcements Archive

Scheduled electrical shutdowns

On Nov. 25, a scheduled electrical shutdown will occur from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., affecting the following buildings: The Knapp Center, Fieldhouse, Bell Center, and Shivers Basketball Practice Facility. This scheduled shutdown is part of the electrical project that needs to be completed prior to the construction of the new School of Education/Computer Science and Mathematics Building and the new Science Connector Building.

Another scheduled electrical shutdown will occur on Nov. 27, from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., affecting the Fine Arts Center and Olin Hall. This scheduled shutdown is a routine shutdown that occurs ever year the day after Thanksgiving. This allows Facilities Services to clean the electrical transformer on campus.

—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations & Support Services