Pictured above: Miriam Lonon, Ph.d, of Facilities Managment talks about mold and mildew with maintenance staff.

Residential Facilities recently sent Seth Harpell and Kathy Thielen to Green Clean Institute (GCI) training to obtain ISSA CITS Master Technician Certification. Both obtained recognition as Accredited Cleaning Experts (ACE).

ISSA is the leading worldwide association for the cleaning industry representing all the professions it encompasses. The Cleaning Industry Training Standard (CITS) program is designed to increase professionalism and demonstrate a commitment to effective training.

Specifically, the program is focused on training and certifying frontline cleaning professionals, verifying training programs and training facilities to a set industry standard and improving the skills of industry trainers.

The expertise gained by both Seth and Kathy will greatly enhance the cleaning standards within our facilities.

ISSA Certification

Kathy Thielen and Seth Harpell received ISSA CITS Master Technician Certification upon completing GCI Training.

Maintenance Staff Receives Air Quality Training

Miriam Lonon, Ph.d, from Facilities Management’s Environmental Health & Safety unit conducted an indoor air quality training for the maintenance staff Oct. 7 on what to look for when investigating an issue.

She spoke about molds and mildews likely to be found on campus. She went through the steps of finding the source of the problem and correcting it, then cleaning the area that was affected.

She went over proper ways to clean a non-porous surface, and how to remove porous materials and replace them.

The maintenance staff found the training very informative. We are always looking to improve indoor air quality in our buildings.

Current air quality upgrades in progress include:

  • Installing UV lighting in the large rooftop HVAC units on Pomfret C and D wings. B wing will be done in December
  • Regular filter changes and HVAC equipment cleaning. We monitor HVAC equipment through our building automation system to assure everything is operating correctly.

Pitner Attends CAPPA Conference

David Pitner, project team foreman, attended the 2016 Central Association of Physical Plant Administrators (CAPPA), which was hosted by the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Oct. 8-12.

The focus was “Energizing Your People and Utility Plants.”

Topics included cutting utility costs, using data analytics as part of “retrocommissioning”, building optimal work teams, excelling in customer service and managing information flow to front-line staff.

The conference hosted facilities staff from universities in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and other states. It included a vendor exhibition and tour of the University of Arkansas Little Rock facilities, particularly their new power plant.

Donald Bobbitt, Ph.D., president of University of Arkansas System, was among the keynote speakers and shared insights about the future of education and facilities.

Information for this article was contributed by Jeff Vinger, director, Residential Facilities; Aaron England, assistant director for operations and maintenance, Residential Facilities and David Pitner, project team foreman, Residential Facilities