Physical Plant Services

NEWSLETTER DEC 2015

Message from the AVP BY JOHN WITJES, AVP (FACILITIES)

Was that snow that was falling last week?! It seems like just recently we were all busy preparing for the school year and wrapping up a very full list of summer campus work.

Since our last publication, much has happened. Our Town Halls went very well and we received lots of great feedback which has helped shape our new PPS Mission Statement and Values. Thank you to each and every one of you who attended and I would like to offer special thanks to those that took the time to provide feedback and input into the sessions… it was great to see so many engaged in the discussions. There was an overwhelming sense of pride amongst participants … and that pride found its way into our new Mission Statement;

“PPS will proudly build, maintain and improve campus facilities to create a safe and welcoming environment in support of teaching learning and research”

The values, unanimously supported from our Town Hall meetings that we will embrace in executing our mission statement will include being, Communicative, Effective, Efficient, Knowledgeable, Professional, Reliable, Responsible, and having Integrity.

I look forward to continuing the discussion with all PPS employees about the evolution of our department in serving the Queen’s community.

We would all like to welcome a number of new employees that have joined PPS over the last while. Plumbers Ben Tee (Area 2), Jeff Cross (Area 1) and Scott Kerr (Area 4), Mechanical Engineer, Shawn Milne, and Kyle Strike to our Fixit team. We are continuing to build a strong team.

And finally I would like to thank all PPS employees for their hard work and dedication to Queen’s over the past year. I hope that you will find some time over the holiday break to relax away from our busy work lives and to enjoy time with family and friends. I invite PPS employees to join us at the annual Holiday Luncheon on December 18th.

Hoping you enjoy this edition of the PPS newsletter!

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Richardson Stadium: Construction Update BY DAVID BOUGHTON, DIRECTOR, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Things have moved along since the last time we reported on the Richardson Stadium. Following the Board approval in December of 2014, the stadium has undergone some dramatic change, while still being able to host games. During this time, we managed to install all of the major infrastructure elements, demolish the old ticket office, washroom buildings, and regrade the parking lot.

We are now on schedule towards a tight timeline to get the stadium ready for the first games in 2016. Work has begun on the new east entrance building with the footings now visible and waiting for the structure to go up in the spring. We have also said a fond farewell to the old stadium seating. The look of the west building has changed. The press box has seen its last commentary and has been lifted off the west building. Work has been forging ahead on laying the base for the new field and the structural supports for the new grandstands are also well underway. Two web cams have been installed on the top of John Orr tower so you can follow the progress of the new stadium as it takes shape. Details for the web cams can be found on the PPS website www.queensu.ca/pps .

The end zone competition has concluded and the winning design will be unveiled during the ground breaking ceremony scheduled for December 5th. Let’s hope that the weather holds for us and allows us the opportunity to get ahead of the schedule. During the winter, work will progress revitalising the inside of the west building. Once completed, it will have updated football change rooms as well as provision for changing rooms for soccer and the other field sports that will be played at the new stadium. Although we are currently on schedule, the timeline still remains tight with the first practice games scheduled for August 2016. I’m sure you will watch with anticipation as the stadium begins to take shape.

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Queen’s to implement new Facilities Management System BY JOHN WITJES, AVP (FACILITIES) As some of you may have heard, PPS and Residences are involved in a project to replace our current Facilities Management Application (Maximo) with the Archibus software package, to be implemented by BRG Workplace Management.

Archibus is not new to Queen’s. Universities across Ontario acquired the Archibus Space Management module in 2014, and worked with the vendor (BRG) to implement the solution on the Queen’s campus. The current project proposes to expand the University’s utilization of the software by implementing the Maintenance Management module.

The change is necessary as the current version of Maximo is no longer supported by the vendor. The implementation of Archibus will give us an opportunity to review and improve our current processes, and reduce our dependency on inefficient paper-based processes. Archibus’ built-in reporting capabilities will allow us to gain valuable information on our operations, help us make better use of our resources, and allow us more time to do the work that really matters to us: keeping Queen’s campus operational and safe for faculty, staff and students.

A project team, including members from PPS, Residences, ITS and BRG, has been formed to implement the Archibus Maintenance Management Module. BRG was on campus in October to meet with the project team and review all of our operational requirements.

The project team is currently working closely with PPS and Residences on reviewing and analyzing current business processes, and identifying opportunities to improve and streamline these processes.

Updates regarding the progress of the project will be communicated to PPS employees on a regular basis through the PPS newsletter, web page and notices posted throughout the PPS facilities. In addition, PPS employees will be fully supported during this transition period, kept informed as to how changes may impact their team, and afforded the time to attend training and learn about Archibus and any new business processes.

Please feel free to share your questions and concerns with your immediate supervisor/manager. You may also contact either, Larry Pattison, Operations Director or David Crabb, Finance Director with any questions or concerns you may have regarding Archibus.

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The Making of an ESCo BY AARON BALL, SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER

Queen’s University is about to embark on a major energy conservation project that will result in significant savings to the utilities budget and reduce the campus carbon footprint.

Led by Physical Plant Services, the process began with a Request for Proposal exercise that selected Honeywell, an Energy Service Company (ESCo) as our partner in these conservation efforts.

An ESCo is a commercial business that provides energy solutions to reduce consumption and improve efficiencies. These companies provide a series of key functions to reduce energy use, including energy auditing, identification of conservation opportunities, project design and engineering, project implementation and ongoing project monitoring. They also offer something called an Energy Performance Contact which allows funding of the project capital costs through guaranteed savings that result from the energy conservation solutions.

Honeywell has been working with us to develop the project since 2014 and the full project scope and business plan was presented to the Board of Trustees at the December 4th meeting. It is with much excitement that we can share that the Board has approved the project and implementation will begin in January 2016.

The project will include work in over 60 campus buildings and the scope of the energy solutions will range in complexity. The energy solutions fall under four main categories; water, lighting, mechanical and building envelope. Examples of typical measures include low-flow water fixtures, LED lighting, enhanced fan scheduling and controls, heat recovery systems, weather-stripping and window caulking.

Once completed, the project has targeted annual utility budget savings of nearly $1M. In addition, the reduced energy consumption will result in a 2800 metric tonne reduction in carbon emissions. This is the equivalent of removing 944 medium sized cars from Canadian roads. This mitigation effort, combined with other projects on campus and within Ontario will result in over a 25% reduction to our campus emissions since 2008.

Project implementation will get underway in January 2016 and will be completed in approximately 18 months.

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Health and Safety in the Workplace: Everyone has a Role BY: PPS JOINT HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE

So whose responsibility is safety in the workplace? The short answer is that it’s everyone’s responsibility. The Ontario Health and Safety Act and its regulations impose responsibilities and grant rights to people at all levels of the Queen’s and Physical Plant Services organization. All employees have the following three basic rights:

to refuse unsafe work

to participate in the workplace health and safety activities (normally through Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) )

to know about actual and potential dangers in the workplace

As an employee, your responsibilities include:

working in compliance with OH&S acts and regulations

using personal protective equipment and clothing and safety equipment as directed by your Supervisor

reporting workplace hazards and dangers to your Supervisor or completing a Safety Observation Form (available from Supervisors and JHSC members)

working in a manner as required by your Supervisor

Queen’s Managers or Supervisors must:

ensure that workers use prescribed protective equipment devices

advise workers of potential and actual hazards

take every reasonable precaution in the circumstances for the protection of workers.

Managers and Supervisors act on behalf of the employer so they have the responsibility to meet the duties of the employer as specified in the Act. For more information see your Supervisor or speak to your Joint Health and Safety Representative.

We can all make Queen’s and PPS a healthier and safer workplace if we all play our roles.

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Tool of the Month: Fibre Optic Inspection Scope BY SCOTT PARKS, Engineering Intern

This month’s “Tool of the Month” is the Ridgid SeeSnake fibre optic inspection scope.

The standard size SeeSnake provides users with vision in any type of pipe or ductwork, creating a much more intuitive method of troubleshooting.

The SeeSnake comes complete with a 200 feet (61m) long cable, a camera with LED lights, and a LCD viewing screen. When in operation the LCD screen shows what is being seen by the camera in real-time. The flexible cable allows for the camera to be fed down twisting pipes, with the limiting factor being turning the lengthy camera head around tight corners. The camera is waterproof to a depth of 330 feet (100m), and can operate in a temperature range of 0°C to 40°C. If used in tandem with a Sonde locator it is also possible to determine the position of blockages by tracking the position of the camera head, using the Sonde emitting function built into the SeeSnake. The only connection required to run the SeeSnake is a standard 120V wall outlet.

The Rigid SeeSnake along with training materials are available from the engineering group for use by PPS trades staff.

Saving Dollars at the Pump BY VIET TRAN, MECHANICAL ENGINEER

McLaughlan Hall, old heating system pump McLaughlan Hall, new heating system pump

PPS has numerous types of pumps on campus: fire pumps, domestic water booster pumps, sewer pumps, condensate pumps, and heating system pumps. Recently, the plumbers and steamfitters in Area 3 have focused on replacing 30 to 50 year old antique heat pumps in several buildings on campus: Kingston Hall, Humphrey Hall, McLaughlin Hall, and Cancer Research. Craine Building and Louise D. Acton are next in line.

Replacing the existing pumps with new Armstrong Centrifugal pumps has several advantages: less maintenance, available parts, and higher efficiency, which all lead to lower operational costs. The hot water converter can now be turned down 10 to 15 degrees, while maintaining the original temperature at the tap.

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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Efficient, Pleasant & Hardworking I just wanted to say, the custodian we now have maintaining our building (Fleming-Jemmett), Jennifer, is very efficient, pleasant and hard working. I had the opportunity to run into her in the stairwell this morning, and told her in person, but would also like her superiors to know as well. Best regards,

Rhonda

Jennifer Gilmour is a custodian in Area 3

A BIG Thank you Can you pass on a big thank-you to Richard, the plumber, who fixed the first floor kitchen sink drain in Richardson Hall this

afternoon. We appreciated the prompt service response and the fact that he did an amazing job at cleaning up and putting

everything away nicely under the sink once he was done. Thanks for the nice shiny new sink drain too.

Thanks,

Pamela

Richard Sterling is a Plumber in Area 3.

A Successful Conference

I wanted to send you (Aaron Ball) a more personal thank you email because QSUS wouldn't have happened without your

kind support. From all the initial advice you have given us to detailed and comprehensive advice and interviews, we

definitely would not have been able to create the cases without your help. Thank you for taking on a role as a judge and

offering your expertise to the delegates; your work has been absolutely invaluable in hosting a successful conference.

Best regards,

Ann

Aaron Ball is the Sustainability Manager at PPS

A Productive Meeting

Thank you (Jim and Viet) for the help. I thought the meeting (with potential donors) was really productive and we could

not have been prepared without your help...your answers were clear and understandable...they were impressed with the

whole exercise.

Thank you again,

Bill

Jim MacAdams is the Area 3 Manager and Viet Tran is a Mechanical Engineer

Huge Savings

Recognizing the huge savings you’ve (John Korince) produced… You should be extremely proud of your team’s work (Central Heating Plant) – this is one of the single largest water conservation projects I’ve seen here in the City since I started this job, and you’ve accomplished it at an incredibly reasonable cost. All the best, Steve

John Korince is the Chief Operating Engineer at the Central Heating Plant

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Announcements

New Hires

Ben Tee, Plumber (Area 2), November 16, 2015

Jeffrey Cross, Plumber (Area 1), November 30, 2015

Scott Kerr, Plumber (Area 4), November 30, 2015

Shawn Milne, Mechanical Engineer, December 1, 2015

Kyle Strike, Fix-It Clerk, December 14, 2015

Retiring

George Tisdale, Parking, December 31, 2015

Doug Hopkins, Area 1 Custodian, February 12, 2016

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a news story or an announcement you would like to make, or a cartoon or photograph you’d like to share? We’re looking for submissions to add to the next publication that will come out in March 2016.

All ideas and suggestions on the newsletter’s name, design and content are welcome. Submission deadline for the next edition is February 15, 2015. You can submit your ideas to any of the newsletter committee members:

Tracy Elliott, tracy.elliott@queensu.ca

Llynwen Osborne, lrao@queensu.ca

Larry Pattison, pattison@queensu.ca

If you would like to start receiving an electronic version of the PPS Newsletter send an email to one of the newsletter committee members and you will be added to the email distribution list.

Name our Newsletter!

Feeling creative? We’re still looking for a name for our newsletter. Start brainstorming and send your

suggestion to any of the newsletter committee members, Fix-It or your manager. If your idea is selected you

could win a coffee break for your shop!

queensu.ca/pps

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Green Office Certification: December Shutdown

With the holiday shutdown nearly here, we would like to take the time remind

everyone to help power down our office space. By turning off and unplugging

our equipment we can avoid wasteful energy consumption and its damaging

carbon impacts.

The commitment to reducing energy consumption is one of the actions taken to

help PPS become the first Green Office certified on campus and achieve our

silver ranking. Your contributions have made this possible.

Here is a quick list of things to check and turn off in your office before leaving

for the break:

Computers Monitor Lights Heaters Power Bar Close Windows Other misc. electronics

We would also ask the team work together to ensure other items in the general office are also turned off. These

include:

All Copiers/Printers Coffee Maker Microwave Toaster Common Area Lights Shredder Ceiling Fans Close Windows Clear and unplug fridges Washroom Lights Turn down thermostats (min. 18C or

65F)

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