C onstruction of a new $50 million dollar

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1 Plant Ops WORKS The Official Newsletter for Plant Operations Volume 4, Issue 1 M A R C H UH s New Undergrad Housing Complex C onstruction of a new $50 million dollar facility, recently approved by the UH System Board of Regents, will provide freshman housing for the central campus. According to Diane Murphy, associate vice president for Student Affairs Administration, the university s goal is for more freshmen to live on campus. To have more first year students, we need more freshmen housing. This is why we are building Phase 1 of freshman housing in the Wheeler Precinct. At least another 1,000 beds will be built after this initial phase, which will help our goal of housing the entire first year class in residence on campus. The last time a residential facility was constructed for freshman was in 1970 when Moody Towers was built. These days, the university on average admits over 3,400 freshmen per year. The increase in student beds is directly related to the 2006 Campus Framework Plan and the university s goal to increase the campus residential population. Murphy explained, President Khator has articulated the goal of achieving residential status which is twenty-five percent of a university s student population according to the Carnegie Commission. By 2015, the university anticipates having 10,000 beds on campus. These [housing] projects are what s been estimated for UH attain Tier 1 status, said Jeanne LaMontagne, assistant director of planning in Facilities Planning and Construction (FPC). The new seven story facility will consist of 339,000 square feet. Preliminary space programming includes a social lounge, living learning center, computer lab, multi-purpose rooms, fitness room, a convenience store, and more. One unique aspect of the building is a pedestrian bridge that will connect to Moody Towers. Residents of the new undergrad facility will share the Moody Towers Dining Hall which in the process of being renovated. Construction of the new facility requires eliminating parking lots 5A, 5B, 5C, plus the tennis court, basketball court, and outdoor swimming pool. Mei Chang, senior project manager in FPC, said future plans include the construction of a parking garage in the space that is currently parking lot 1A. The new garage would serve the parking needs of the residents, Moody Towers and potentially additional spaces for faculty, staff, and commuters. The undergraduate housing project will be funded by a bond issue which will be repaid by rental income. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2009 and be complete by fall Written By Cydney Rax Street Elevation Rendering $50M Seven Story Undergraduate Housing Facility PAGE 1

2 JANUARY 2009 PAGE 2 Craig Brodd-Residential Life & Housing Maintenance Profiled by Cydney Rax Photo by Thomas Shea This month the spotlight shines on Craig Brodd, maintenance supervisor for Residential Life and Housing Maintenance. When Craig began working at UH 19 years ago, he always planned to be here a long time. I was in my 30 s and I planned on being here till I retired. As maintenance supervisor his work requires him to oversee a variety of maintenance issues for Moody Towers, A.D. Bruce Religion Center, Cougar Place, and the quadrangle. Every day proves to bring about new challenges and Craig enjoys that the Craig Brodd most. We respond to any type of emergencies including gas leaks, fire alarms, stoppages, water outages. His work ethic consists of doing a job and doing it right. I get that from my dad and my grandfather who taught me that your work is your signature. Don t do anything that you would be ashamed to show anybody. As a matter of fact, Craig takes so much pride in his work that he has been rewarded several times including receiving the Charles F. McElhinney Distinguished Service Award for the 2007 Staff Excellence Awards. When he s not working, Craig enjoys traveling, yard work, and fishing. When it s nice out, my wife and I go to the river or the lake where it s nice, quiet and serene. Grounds Department Does Its Part To Impact the World The Grounds Department has been invited to take part in one of the largest tree plantings the world has ever known. This green earth campaign was launched by Mission Earth Green USA, whose goal is to inspire one hundred million people to plant one hundred million trees by July The invitation to participate in this initiative came from the UH Art of Living Foundation. The department actively supports the goal of the Plant for the Planet Campaign in regards to planting and caring for billions of trees. Alex Alexander says, Planting trees reduces greenhouse gases, helps remove pollution from the air and, with the proper selection of varieties, protects biodiversity. It also brings people in closer contact with our natural surroundings and, in turn, perhaps improves the consideration for environmental impact and good stewardship for our planet. Photo: Leo D Silva Article by Alex Alexander, director Custodial & Grounds

3 MARCH 2009 P A G E 3 Cruz-Diez Art Piece Installed At Welcome Center An eye-catching art piece designed by famed artist Carlos Cruz-Diez was recently installed outside the Welcome Center. Named Double Physichromie, the piece is a medium height serpentine wall that spans fifty-three feet long. It is made up of approximately 2000 individually painted pieces all of which work in unison to create an optical effect as you walk or drive past. Splashes of color such as red, blue, and green align aluminum modules which are designed to change and blend in a bizarre and unexpected way. According to Michael Guidry, curator of University Collections, the art piece was purposely designed to draw attention. And during the short time it s been in place, the piece has garnered a lot of positive feedback and has caused curious heads to turn. Comments have ranged from What is it? to other flowery compliments. Although Cruz-Diez was first commissioned in fall 2004, the process experienced some difficulties due to the fact that Cruz-Diez is an international artist based in Venezuela. According to Katherine Miller, Facilities Planning and Construction s senior project manager for the Welcome Center Project, it made sense to do the fabrication here instead of overseas; plus site work needed to be involved. In addition we had to make sure to find the right type of shop. Once the artist was selected, Cruz-Diez s son Jorge, who works very closely with him, was able to manage the project on his behalf. The installation is a collaborative effort that included Basic Industries which served as the general contractor for Welcome Center public art component. Blumenthal Sheet Metal, a local shop that also fabricated the Tim Glover piece for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, was selected to fabricate the Cruz-Diez piece. Their work involved reviewing drawings, ironing out the details, and managing the installation process. J.E. Titus Painting Contractor handled arduous task of painting the piece. In addition, Bos Lighting Design served as the lighting consultant. One unique aspect of the piece is its revolving light aspect in which the details are enhanced at night. The price of the artwork is approximately $200,000 and includes artist fees, fabrication and shipping costs. Cruz-Diez has spent much of his career doing color analysis and is considered an expert. Guidry explained, The reason he was selected is because it was a great opportunity [for us]. He s a great artist and the System Wide Art Acquisition Committee could visualize one of his sculptures there at the [Welcome Center] site. He also has gallery representation in Houston at the Maria Sicardi Gallery on Richmond Avenue so they could help us facilitate the work. He is well-respected and this is his first commercial commission in the U.S., a major coup for UH and Houston. Written by Cydney Rax EHRM Team s Waste Minimization Paper To Be Featured at Safety 2009 Conference Minimizing Chemical Waste without the Big Bang was selected to be presented at the American Society of Safety Engineer s annual safety conference. The presentation is a collaborative effort between several employees within the Environmental Health and Risk Management department (EHRM). Emmett Sullivan, Mark O Riley, and Sanjay Shiwprasad co-authored the paper which focuses on EHRM s success in safely minimizing the amount of hazardous waste generated at UH s main campus during the past few years. Sullivan will conduct the presentation which is part of the environment/hazardous material track. The conference will be held June 28 to July 1 in San Antonio and is expected to attract more than four thousand attendees. For more information please visit

4 Plant Op s WORKS - The official newsletter for Plant Op erations PAGE 4 MISSION STATEMENT The primary mission of the Plant Operations Department is to serve the needs of faculty, students, and staff by maintaining and improving the physical environment and facilities of the University of Houston. In this role, the Plant Operations organization carries out its mission by providing professional support in the areas of Facilities Planning and Construction, Finance & Operations, Building Maintenance, Access Control, Recycling & Waste Management, Custodial Services-Grounds Maintenance, Utility Services, Electricity and Power Energy Management, HVAC, Environmental Health and Risk Management, & Residential Life and Housing Maintenance. Congratulations to Daniel Short of Grounds Department who was selected as the January/February 2009 employee of the month. Daniel Short has worked at the university as a lead groundskeeper since August The colleague who recommended him for this award said, Dan s quiet dedication is admired by his co-workers and h has a great sense of humor he is always looking for different ways to get things done a little quicker and easier. (L-R, Dan Short & Dave Irvin) As employee of the Month, Dan will receive a certificate, American Express gift certificate, and a limited, free reserved parking space. His name will also be engraved on a plaque that is featured in the lobby of the General Services Building. Congratulations to Rosalba Vasquez of Custodial Services who was selected as the December 2008 employee of the month. Rosalba Vasquez Rosalba is an evening shift custodian who was hired on 9/23/04. She started working for the custodial department full time on 11/22/04, at the Alumni Building. After a year of good service, she went to the Law Center. Her current assigned area is TU2 in the Law Center ground floor. She performs her daily assignments with excellence. You can always rely on her and know that she will do an excellent job in any project she s assigned to do. She always goes the extra mile. As an example, she was the one that cleaned the walls in the commons area after Hurricane Ike damaged them. She did such a good job that it saved the Paint Shop from having to repaint. In her free time she goes to the gym. She love to read non-fiction books that talk about self-improvement, and her favorite book is the Bible. At her church, she and her son are involved in the youth group programs. We hope to have Rosalba in our department for many years to come and we expect that someday soon she will be in a position for greater responsibilities.

5 Congratulations On Your Years of Service 5, 10, 15, 20, 2 & up DECEMBER 2008 James G. Norcom, III, Facilities Planning & Construction Arthur Hajecate, Fire Alarm Shop JANUARY 2009 Wonsie Smith, Custodial Services Maria Ramirez, Custodial Services Stephen Longoria, Utility Services Guadalupe Andrade, Custodial Services FEBRUARY 2009 Walter Owens, Custodial Services Ivonne Dollagaray, Custodial Services Baldemar Pinal, Utility Services Maria Trevino, Custodial Services Lawrence Theriot, Elevator Shop Tom Ho, Residence Life Maintenance 1 30 years MARCH 2009 Cynthia Gibbs, Facilities Planning & Construction Rosa Morales, Custodial Services Blanca Perez, Custodial Services Robert King, Utility Services Cydney Rax, Administration APRIL 2009 Antonio Padron, Building Maintenance Basilio Martinez, Building Maintenance 2 MAY 2009 Yesenia Morales, Custodial Services Jack Gill, Facilities Planning & Construction Elizabeth Soriano, Custodial Services Nicolas Lara, Custodial Services David Tubb, Electric Shop Melton Williams, Labor Shop PAGE 5