While the COVID-19 pandemic has left most faculty, staff, and students working and learning from home, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Facilities Management (FM) crew have been bravely coming to work every day since a quiet campus became reality.

鈥淲hile the future of our university remains uncertain, we continue to repair, renovate, and construct, secure in the knowledge that our campus leaders will guide us through this pandemic emerging a stronger and more versatile community,鈥� said David Millay, assistant vice chancellor of Facilities Management.

Considered essential personnel, Facilities Management staff members have been working hard to clean and sanitize for the safety of the campus community. Dedicated FM staffers have been busy deep cleaning unoccupied campus spaces, sanitizing and sealing spaces against unnecessary use, installing pass through mailboxes, and upgrading the recycling bin distribution, just to name a few.

鈥淥ur Facilities Management team has really risen to the occasion during this pandemic time to assure 鈥榯heir鈥� campus remains in great condition,鈥� said Steve McClellan, vice chancellor for finance and administration. 鈥淲hile they also have kids at home, elderly to care for, and the same personal anxieties the rest of us are all dealing with, they continue showing up in very high percentages daily with an unfettered drive so that when 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is ready to reopen, we all will return to maintained grounds, clean and safe facilities, and will see evidence of continued construction projects. This has required a lot of retraining and juggling and hasn鈥檛 been easy. I have been in this business 35 years and have never ever been this proud of and for people I work with.鈥�

FM employees have proved to be innovative and resourceful during the pandemic. One example stems from how they faced a shortage of hand sanitizer, which has become one of the most highly coveted and hard-to-get items around the country. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little employees took a proactive approach and made their own supply for the campus community. The FM team then produced DIY office sanitizer kits and distributed them across campus.

鈥淲e have all had to adjust the way we work by practicing social distancing, wearing masks, meeting virtually, and helping with tasks we normally don鈥檛 do,鈥� said Leslie Hutchins, director of FM planning and capital construction. 鈥淚 am proud of our team for stepping up to the challenge.鈥�

Building maintenance has also continued without a hiccup, with projects like a new roof, ceiling, and lighting in the Center for Performing Arts, the replacement of the digital marquee, and upgrades to the exterior of the Donaghey Student Center. The much anticipated Starbucks overlooking Cooper Fountain is on track to be finished in August.

鈥淔acilities Management staff have reported to campus every day during this pandemic because they are considered 鈥榚ssential,鈥欌�� said Sandra Vail, director of FM operations and services. 鈥淭hey not only ensure that the campus buildings and grounds are maintained properly but provide on-going sanitization.鈥�

Despite less foot traffic on campus, it鈥檚 business as usual when it comes to maintaining buildings and grounds.

鈥淲ith 60 buildings amounting to nearly 3 million gross square feet, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock campus represents a sizable state asset,鈥� Millay said. 鈥淢aintenance crews respond daily, not to mention weekend and night emergency call-ins to keep building systems operating properly and to safeguard occupants.鈥�

Millay recalled an incident in which FM crew members showed their hard work and dedication in responding quickly and efficiently to an incident in the Science Lab Building.

鈥淚n one recent event in our Science Lab building, the main electrical breaker which feeds the entire building faltered and failed,鈥� Millay said. 鈥淭he loss of power jeopardized all other building systems that heat, cool, ventilate, and light the structure, but more importantly jeopardized the ongoing research. Electrical crews led by Ian Hadden, director of energy management services, Mike Seamon, assistant director, and Geoff Owens, electric shop supervisor, worked non-stop to determine the cause of failure and ultimately replace the main breaker. This is just one example of the daily efforts put forth by these teams to keep our buildings safe and secure.鈥�

Reduced energy consumption and utility costs continue to be a hallmark of Facilities Management. Led by Ian Hadden, director of energy management services, the employees continuously seek ways to save the university money during the pandemic. By making smart decisions like closing the parking garage, setting unoccupied temperature settings in buildings, and turning off lights in all unoccupied areas, the energy management employees have reduced its utility budget by $400,000.

鈥淚鈥檝e been very proud, but not surprised, of the response of our Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical and BAS/Engineering staff,鈥� Hadden said. 鈥淭hey have looked for opportunities to tackle the backlog of work where possible and focus on preventative maintenance over reactive responses. The BAS/Engineering team has done a great job seeking and finding ways to reduce our utility costs. These are great folks to work with.鈥�

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With hand sanitizer being one of the highly coveted and hard-to-get items around the country, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Office of Facilities Management has taken a proactive approach and has begun making their own supply for the campus community.

鈥淲e were all concerned about the availability of hand sanitizers for the university and foresaw the possibility that it might be an issue,鈥� said Vince Rodgers, director of EHS and chemical hygiene. 鈥淥ur boss recommended we look into how to make hand sanitizer. We decided to just pull the trigger while the ingredients are still readily available.鈥�

Facilities Management staff anticipated a run on hand sanitizers and ordered ingredients so they could make their own in a pinch. As suspected, a supply order for hand sanitizers fell through so staff members got busy.

Facilities Management staff who participated in making the hand sanitizers include Rodgers, Sandra Vail, director of Facilities Management operations and services, Leslie Hutchins, director of planning and capital construction, and Cadence Baize, administrative assistant.

The 140 bottles of hand sanitizer were made with two-thirds isopropyl alcohol 99 percent and one-third triple Lanolin Aloe Vera lotion.

Bottles of hand sanitizer have been delivered to the open offices on campus and have been placed in cleaning sanitizing kits Facilities Management staff are delivering to computer and research labs around campus.

鈥淭here are a lot of YouTube videos that show you how to make your own hand sanitizer,鈥� Vail said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a matter of getting the supplies that you need. We have the equipment and supplies ready to make more if the campus needs it.鈥�

In the upper right photo, Sandra Vail, left, and Vince Rodgers, right, transport the hand sanitizers made by Facilities Management for use on the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock campus.

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Despite his demanding job requirements, Ian has also met the academic requirements to receive the Facilities Management Educational Scholarship the entire time he’s been enrolled in the MBA program. Ian is due to graduate spring 2019, and we are very proud of him!

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Sandra Vail, director of operations and services, and Andrijana Vukovich, director of planning and capital construction, graduated the academy on January 17. The purpose of the Leadership Academy is to enhance and further develop leadership throughout the educational industry. It provides opportunities for administrative professionals to increase their awareness of industry issues, learn the skills necessary to handle today’s changes, and discover the leadership potential within each of us.

The Leadership Academy has been developed for, and focuses on, the educational institution’s facilities staff, buyers/purchasing agents, business/finance professionals, and auxiliary services professionals. Academy attendees focus on one of four tracks per session: Individual Effectiveness Skills; Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills; Managerial Effectiveness Skills; and Organizational Effectiveness Skills 鈥� A Seat at the Table. Graduates of The Leadership Academy or uniquely prepared to demonstrate the value of the facilities department in furthering their institution鈥檚 educational mission.

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On Monday, Dec 31, 2018, the Facilities Management Department lost an important and long-serving member of our team, Danny Haynes. He died of natural causes.

Danny joined 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock as a stationary engineer on Jan. 16, 1988, and moved through the mechanical shop to his current position as a skilled trades worker (HVAC/Mechanical). He was an excellent general mechanic with skills ranging from plumbing to rebuilding pumps and motors. Danny served as one of three emergency on-call mechanical persons for over 20 years, responding to after-hours emergencies, providing back-up support to on-duty staff, and working as part of the inclement weather crew. Danny was always quick to volunteer to cover extra shifts for his co-workers and over holidays and provided much needed leadership in the shop for a year while the regular supervisor was on medical leave. For these efforts and more, he was recognized as the Facilities Management Employee of the Month award in February 2018.

Outside of work, Danny was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and archery. He was regarded as an excellent marksman and competed in both recurve bow and compound bow competitions. In recent years, deer hunting was his primary passion with trips to Kansas the highlight of his year. On one of the Kansas trips, Danny met Kelly Karber who gave his smile an extra sparkle. Kelly soon moved to Little Rock, and she and Danny became engaged in December 2018.

Danny graduated from Wilbur D. Mills High School in Little Rock in 1983 and served in the United States Navy as a boiler technician from December 1983 through December 1986.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, Jan. 6, at Westbrook Funeral Home, 183 N. Livermore St, Hazen, Ark. 72064. In keeping with Danny鈥檚 love of the outdoors, the family has requested blue jeans and/or camo as funeral attire. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. with the funeral at 2 p.m., followed by graveside services.

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