By Destinie Holiday
In 2017, UH Facilities launched a new exterior building project. This kicked off the first year of what's expected to be an ongoing project for campus. It has been done a few times in the past, but not to this magnitude.
Facilities has started conducting assessments for the building exteriors and reviews which buildings should be considered a top priority to have cleaned. This prioritizing is based on the visual presentation and requests people have submitted. On occasion, requests are submitted in order to prepare the building for major upcoming events.
A few buildings have been completed, such as Farish Hall, the front of the Student Services Center and even portions of Engineering 1 and Engineer 2.
The initiative has received much support, specifically from Associate Vice Chancellor/Associate Vice President David Oliver, who helped allocate the proper funding for this annual project.
“The campus appearance is important to all of us. The way our campus comes across visually impacts recruitment of students, athletes, faculty and sponsors, so the cleaning of buildings helps improve the overall aesthetics. In a sense, the exteriors of each of the buildings are the ‘front doors’ to the Powerhouse,” Maintenance Director Jerry Bogna said.
This overall experience has been great and one of the easier projects Bogna said he has led. The work is contracted out through the request for proposal process. When performing the cleanings, the company that was hired ensures not only that the workers are secure, but that people are directed away from the work area. There is a guarantee of no algae regrowth for three years after the cleaning is completed.
Feedback has been positive with an immediate visible improvement that everyone has appreciated. Facilities welcomes input from the campus community. Feel free to email Facilities Communications.