2020 • Volume 4 • Issue 4
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2020 • Volume 4 • Issue 4 Chancellor Jones values new, blue F&S uniforms See p. 6 A MESSAGE FROM THE Executive Director The university’s efforts to bring students back to campus IN THIS ISSUE for the return to on-site instruction has necessitated 3 COVID-19 Response significant planning, collaboration, and innovation. In this edition of the Insider, you will read about the 4 Coming Back to Campus extraordinary efforts made by our staff focused on 5 Shop Spotlight: BSWs bringing the campus community back together in person Uniforms Bring Unity during the fall semester. 6 to Campus Work The hard work and resourcefulness of individuals 8 Spurlock Energy Savings across F&S are also directly responsible for many of the proactive COVID-19 measures implemented at the U of I. The actions taken the 10 Got Solar? Illinois Does. last several months were often performed under urgent conditions and 11 Carbon Capture expedited project deadlines. Collaboration These opportunities have given us the ability to demonstrate our vital 12 Capital Construction contributions to university operations. Here are some of the tremendous Continues achievements that are real-world examples of displaying agility and 13 MCORE Moves Forward perseverance, highlighting what we have accomplished during this period. 14 Impressive Employees Sincerely, 15 Wireless Internet Access Enhanced Dr. Mohamed Attalla, Ph.D., MBA, P.Eng. Executive Director, Facilities & Services 16 How F&S Powers the I COVID Accomplishments F&S is also directly responsible for many proactive COVID-19 measures implemented at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Actions taken, including what is listed below, the last several months were often performed under urgent conditions and expedited project deadlines. • Added a new working shift for BSWs to ensure multiple • Installed 1,500 hand-sanitizer stations in building daily cleaning passes of high-usage areas entryways • Deployed more than 30 electrostatic sprayers and • Added disinfecting wipe holders to all classrooms trained staff on their use • Expedited rush orders for thousands of hand sanitizers, • Established a COVID-19 email address to expedite disinfecting wipes, face coverings, and other COVID- cleaning and disinfecting responses related items and hard to obtain PPE supplies through a collaboration between Stores & Receiving and • Produced updated traffic flow models of buildings to Procurement Services optimize social distancing arrangements • Designed, printed, and installed more than 11,000 • Installed plexiglass barriers in workstations COVID-19 notice and reminder signs for all building • Reviewed all HVAC equipment (approximately 2,000 entrances, elevators, stairwells, and restrooms units) and made improvements, where necessary, to • Collaborated on the establishment of 21 university- allow for additional fresh air operated COVID-19 test sites and worked on removing and reinstalling the equipment as needed, as well as • Protected Abbott Power Plant and other essential daily disinfecting and cleaning utilities production and distribution sites and staff by restricting nonessential visitor access and suspending • Coordinated with Technology Services and the U of I all visits and academic and research activities System to use UI Ride shuttles to provide free, public Wi-Fi in community areas with limited digital access 2 • University of Illinois Facilities & Services COVID-19 RESPONSE Since March, life on campus has adjusted to new protocols and procedures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. F&S relies on its mission, vision, values, and guiding principles to address challenges from the stay-at-home orders while maintaining essential functions on campus. For more information on how F&S has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit: https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/covid-response Rich Kensell, building service worker (BSW), walks through an outdoor COVID-19 testing site to clean the floor, tables, and interior walls of the tent with an electrostatic disinfecting sprayer. Kensell, and other BSWs, clean the locations after testing hours with one of more than 30 sprayers, plus other disinfecting and sanitizing chemicals to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff. Painters, FIR Honored by UI Army ROTC F&S painters and facilities information resources (FIR) assisted the needs of the University of Illinois Army ROTC by painting socially distanced circles in Lot 31, a grassy area used for cadet physical training just west of Memorial Stadium. On behalf of Lieutenant Colonel Dan Johnson, Professor of Military Science, Master Sergeant Timothy Collier and Major Jennifer Soderlind presented the Fighting Illini Battalion Commander’s Coin to F&S leaders in recognition of this effort. “We appreciate all the military does for this country and what our own ROTC folks do for us on campus,” said Jim Sims, director of Engineering & Construction Services. “We were thrilled to assist and hold our relationship with all branches of the military with high esteem.” Painters expertly marked out 140 circles and 10 running lanes to ensure health and safety for more than 100 student cadets thanks in part to Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment that was used to identify the precise locations of the circles. Insider, 2020, Volume 4, Issue 4 • 3 Coming Back to Campus as well as within our workforce here in the Physical Plant HSRT CAN DO: Service Building.” The Health and Safety Response Team (HSRT) was Mill workers have also made more than 600 signage stands established to help the university community minimize for U of I-branded COVID messaging. the potential for community spread of the virus. On the team are individuals from across maintenance, safety, Email: [email protected] engineering, and code compliance and fire safety. HSRT also makes sure all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention TRANSPORTATION (CDC) and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Shawn Patterson, transportation manager, finds ways for (CUPHD) guidelines are followed in response to COVID-19. his staff to move around campus safely and securely. That’s never been more important than with COVID-19 saliva testing samples. Drivers go to COVID-19 testing sites and take the saliva samples to the labs where they are processed to ensure most people get their results back within a day or two. Some drivers are accompanied by pre-apprentice students, who are local high school students participating in an introductory work program, as they make hourly pick- ups throughout all campus testing locations. HSRT can deliver solutions to units through in-person and virtual consultations that address immediate and ongoing social distancing and space concerns. HSRT has helped with not only the design of room capacities, room configurations, traffic flow patterns, placement of plexiglass barriers, PPE, signage, and HVAC, but also their implementation through the hard work of the paint and sign shop, carpenters, and public functions. Email: [email protected] “We are here to help and keep the university moving CLEANING STATIONS forward,” said Patterson. “We do what we can to ensure The mill workers built more than 430 students, faculty, and staff come back to a safe and disinfecting wipes stations and 200 hand friendly environment.” sanitizer pump stations for deployment Email: [email protected] to university buildings. These wooden cases stand near doors and in ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES heavily-trafficked hallways and hold industrial size hand sanitizer Plenty of physical changes have been implemented as containers and rolls of disinfecting a response to the COVID pandemic, but record keeping, wipes. reports, and other documentation has been quickly updated to properly address the needs of students, faculty, “It’s a privilege to be counted on to and staff on campus. The Financial Operations department design and build products that are helping created a mechanism to track expenses and other reports students, faculty, and staff stay safe and healthy on to reimburse F&S for COVID-related costs. Additionally, campus,” said Andy Burnett, mill workers foreperson. Financial Operations assists campus administration “We are very proud of our standards here in the mill, in the submission of Illinois Emergency Management and we accepted the challenge to think outside the box. Agency/Federal Emergency Management Agency expense It is also good to have excellent, conscientious coworkers reimbursement. in the other trades to work alongside us. This is truly a team effort to prevent the spread of COVID on campus, For more information, visit: https://fs.illinois.edu/ services/more-services/financial-services. 4 • University of Illinois Facilities & Services SHOP SPOTLIGHT Building Service Workers By Jennifer Thompson Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Illinois, masks and nitrile gloves, building service workers (BSWs) have implemented following recommendations recommendations and best practices for the cleaning and from the CDC and campus, disinfecting of public spaces and schools provided by the and have access to safety Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and glasses. Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). Upon starting the campus Beginning in mid-March, BSWs increased cleaning and return to work protocol, more disinfecting of frequently touched areas prior to the stay than 300 BSWs have cleaned at home order. and disinfected campus buildings. One COVID-related “Throughout