VOL UME 6 ISSUE 1
JANUARY 2 6, 2 01 5
We Keep the College Going
EPCC Physical Plant
Director’s Corner
Welcome back to a New Year. Please enjoy this month’s
edition of our newsletter. A special thank you to all of
the EPCC family who participated in the 6th consecutive
year of the Christmas Drive.
This year has been the most successful to date. We were
able to provide gifts to over 130 children. The incredible
part of this story is that three weeks prior to this, we
hardly had any gifts or donations.
Once again, thank all of you. This event could not be so
successful without your generosity and efforts.
Have a Happy New Year!
Rick Lobato, Physical Plant Executive Director
EPCC’s 6th
Christmas Drive
You can see more pictures
of the 2014 Christmas Drive
on pages 7 through 10.
This year’s drive presented
gifts of clothing and toys to
over 360 children.
The Drive presented an
extra 200 toys and clothes
at a third location that
serves needy families.
Inside This Issue
1
2
3
4
5
6
6
7-10
11
11
12
12
12
13
14
Director’s Corner
Employee of Semester
VV SSC Moves
Entrance Remodel
Water Damage
Water Damage at ASC
On-going Projects
Xmas Drive
Work Orders
Gasoline Usage
Fac. Dev. Workshops
Guess the Location
Staff Birthdays
Safety
Utilities
PAGE 2
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
JANUARY 26, 2015
Physical Plant Employee Chosen VV Employee of the Semester
Pictured above are Dr. Jaime Farias, Dean of Education and
Career & Technical Education Programs, Antonio Perez, Grounds
Worker, and Rick Lobato, Executive Director of Physical Plant.
Physical Plant Grounds Worker Antonio Perez was
honored on Tuesday, December 16th, when he
was chosen Valle Verde Campus Employee of the
Semester for Spring 2014 by the VV IE Committee.
The honor was revealed at a gathering in the
area in front of the offices of Dr. Jaime Farias, VV
Campus Administrator, where various College
staff assembled to congratulate Mr. Perez.
Mr. Perez is familiar to most College staff as one of
the people who maintain the grounds around the
many campus buildings.
Antonio has worked at all of the EPCC campuses,
and at the Valle Verde Campus for the last four
years of his nine year career with the EPCC
Physical Plant. We congratulate Antonio for this
very well deserved honor.
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 3
VV Student Services Center Moves into Temporary Quarters
YWCA Day Care
B
A
C
Map provided by Rick Torres
The picture above is a bird’s-eye view of the area on the Valle Verde Campus
where the Student Services Center offices will work in temporary portable
buildings for the next six months. The area is directly in front of the YWCA Day
Care Center across the street from the building which is being remodeled.
The 2,016 square foot building (designated “A”) includes the offices of Job
Placement, Career Services, Recruitment and faculty offices. The 720 square foot
building (designated “B”) is a waiting room for the Counselors’ offices, which are
located in the 2,688 square foot building, which is designated “C”. An additional
building was also installed in the remaining parking lot area which contains the
restrooms.
The remodeling work is scheduled to be completed by the end of June, just
when the staff has gotten used to their new, temporary offices. The work, being
done by AO General Contractors, will also remodel the four restrooms on the east
side of the building and the smaller restrooms on the second floor of the south
side of the Student Services Center.
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 4
JANUARY 26, 2015
Hunter Dr.
VV Entrance Construction Started During Xmas Break
Estudiante Ct.
Taxco Dr.
Plan compliments of Moreno Cardenas, Inc.
Workers of Veliz Construction
closed the entrance to the Valle
Verde Campus at Hunter Dr. and
Taxco Dr. to all vehicle traffic for
reconstruction while EPCC was
closed for the Christmas break.
The plan, by Moreno Cardenas,
Inc., includes the addition of a
sidewalk on the north side of the
street for pedestrians entering the
campus on the east side, parallel
to the sidewalk on the south side.
The new design also has a lane for those turning right and another for those turning left as
they enter the campus. In the old design, both lanes had to turn right at this juncture. The
design accommodates increased traffic through this entrance.
New crosswalk markings, STOP signs, and YIELD signs now make traveling through this
entrance a lot smoother and quicker. The work is scheduled to be complete by the time
this newsletter is published.
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 5
Water Damages EPCC Buildings During Xmas Break
*****************************
While most
of us were enjoying the holiday
break, the extreme cold weather caused
some pipes to burst and cause a flood in
the Rio Grande Campus Stanton Building
and the Culinary Arts area of the
Administrative Service Center “B” building.
At the Stanton Building, boiler coils froze
and burst on the 6th floor and water
flooded through all the floors below until it
reached the basement, on the night of the
January 1st, when the temperature dipped
to 29° Farenheit and affected rooms on the
north side of the building.
Employees of GCA Services and SERVPRO
of West El Paso worked from 4:00 pm until
5:00 am on January 2nd. They extracted
water from the carpets and lifted any
materials that were damaged on the floor.
Pictured above are a dehumidifier and
floor fans which were used throughout
the Stanton Building.
Jimmy Gomez, Operations Manager of SERVPRO, said that 159 floor fans were used to
help dry the carpets and the baseboards on all floors. He added that 13 dehumidifiers
were also used to reduce the humidity in the rooms and speed up the drying process.
Each humidifier can extract around 28 gallons of water from the atmosphere in one day.
Ruben Chavez, GCA Services Account Manager, told us that they returned to the Stanton
Building on Saturday to replace the furniture to be ready for work on Monday January 5th.
Photos compliments of Jimmy Gomez
PAGE 6
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
JANUARY 26, 2015
Water Damages EPCC Buildings During Xmas Break
On January 1st of this new year,
Physical Plant received a phone
call that some coils froze and burst
at the Administrative Service
Center “B” building ceiling and
flooded parts of the Culinary Arts
area.
The ceiling, walls and floors of the
1309 restaurant were damaged
before the water was under
control.
Physical Plant personnel and GCA
Services staff responded and were
able to remove as much water as
possible from the floors and
carpets.
The pictures at left show the results
of the leak on the ceiling and floor
tiles of the restaurant.
District-wide On-going Projects
A sheltered area for Grounds equipment,
such as the mowers and tractor, is being built
on the south side of the Valle Verde Campus.
Above is the inside demolition of the
Valle Verde Campus Student Service
Center in preparation for remodeling.
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 7
6th EPCC Christmas Drive an Incredible Success
We are happy to report that the 6th EPCC Christmas Drive reached over 360 children in
three locations dedicated to assisting families in need. A new location for the Drive, the
Comedor Infantíl Corazones Felices, shelters and feeds children who are often left alone
for days at a time. We thank the EPCC family for their generosity and hope that they can
see the tremendous effect their gifts had on the children and their families.
The children at the Centro Comunitario del Espiritu Santo began their celebration with a
re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem and the arrival of the Three Kings.
Continued on page 8
PAGE 8
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
JANUARY 26, 2015
6th EPCC Christmas Drive an Incredible Success
The Drive was able to provide a clothing gift of a specific size, and a toy, for over 130
children at the Centro Comunitario del Espiritu Santo. We were able to do the same for
over 30 children at the Comedor Infantíl Corazones Felices. Unfortunately, we were not
able to customize the gifts for around 200 children at the Iglesia Santa Cecilia because of
the lack of time, but the gifts were greatly appreciated and no child left without a gift. The
children welcomed the clothing as much as the toys.
Continued on page 9
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 9
6th EPCC Christmas Drive an Incredible Success
We thank all of you who donated clothing, toys, and funds for more clothing. Those who
helped wrap, carry, and deliver the gifts; and Mr. Armando Villalobos (Mayra’s husband)
for standing in for one of the 3 Kings. We hope the EPCC family understands that the Drive
does more than just give presents, it gives children in very unhappy circumstances a view
of a charitable world they might not see otherwise; it gives them a little hope; and it
makes them smile, if only for a short while. Merry Christmas, and may God bless us all.
Continued on page 10
PAGE 10
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
JANUARY 26, 2015
Four friends at the Centro Comunitario del Espiritu Santo quickly started to play
with their new toys.
The day at the Comedor Infantíl Corazones Felices began with a prayer.
A picture of a portion of the gifts at the Centro Comunitario.
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 11
Work Orders for the Month of December 2014
During the month of December 2014, the Physical Plant received 86 Work Order Requests
and 126 Design Work Requests, Set-up Requests, and Property Control Records, for a total
of 212 requests, a 65% decrease from the previous month. December had only 15 week
days with reduced students and faculty. The completion rate for work orders in December
is 98%, as the reduced number of new orders helped catch up on previous orders.
Physical Plant Work Orders
Administrative Service Center
Career Training Center
District Wide
Fort Bliss
Mission del Paso Campus
Northwest Campus
Rio Grande Campus
Transmountain Campus
Valle Verde Campus
TOTALS:
Received
18
0
0
0
2
3
7
1
55
86
Completed
29
0
3
0
19
9
31
10
50
151
%Completed
100%
00%
00%
00%
100%
100%
100%
100%
91%
98%
GCA Services received a total of 46 calls during December 2014, which was 6 more than
the number for the month of November.
Physical Plant Gasoline Use in December 2014
The Physical Plant used 1,161 gallons of gasoline during the month of December 2014. This
is a 22% drop from November, and December had 22% less work days than November.
The average price per gallon was $2.53 in November, while it averaged $2.27 in the
month of December. Gasoline prices are still decreasing.
PAGE 12
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
JANUARY 26, 2015
Recycling Program Presented at Faculty Development Workshops
Mayra Cordero, Environmental Specialist, presented nine workshops during Faculty
Development earlier this month. The workshop was entitled “Tips for a Better Life.” A portion
of the workshop included asking attendees to bring food or personal care products to
analyze ingredients which might be harmful. This helped bring awareness about artificial
colors, sweeteners, and preservatives in our food, and Mayra stated that, at the very least,
people can pay a little more attention to the products they purchase by reading the
labels for ingredients and other information.
The power-point presentation will soon be uploaded to the Recycling Program Facebook
page and the Physical Plant page of the EPCC web-site. Mayra reminds us that a Campus
Clean-up is scheduled at Transmountain Campus on Thursday, February 19, 2015, from
10:00 amto 12:00 pm. All participants will receive a free reusable lunch bag.
For more sustainable tips and other information, go to EPCC Recycling Program on
Facebook.
Guess the Location of the Area in the Picture Below
Are you familiar with all the EPCC District campuses and locations? We do not all get to
travel to the district locations every day, so we will share some pictures to familiarize you
with the many locations EPCC has throughout El Paso County.
Below is a picture of a rock structure that is located next to a door of an EPCC building.
(Hint: It was once a working fountain.)
Be the first to identify the location and win a
reusable stainless steel water bottle. Send your
guess to Mayra Cordero at mcorde30@epcc.edu.
Physical Plant
Staff Birthdays
Feb 02
Feb 07
Feb 07
Feb 14
Feb 15
Feb 24
Jose Ortega
Aaron Diaz
Gilbert Rivera
Arturo Elenes
Julio Alarcon
Israel Bañuelas
Mar 13
Mar 13
Mar 22
Mar 25
Mar 28
Raul Lucero
Rick Torres
Norma Dragon
Rafael Herrera
Angel Ramirez
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 13
Safety Tip from the Office of Risk Management & Safety
NOTE:
The Physical Plant Administration and
the EP Fire Marshal allow only space
heaters that shut off automatically
when tipped over.
The El Paso County Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or
gender identity.
EPCC PHYSICAL PLANT
PAGE 14
JANUARY 26, 2015
EPCC Utilities from 2013-14 to 2014-15
Electricity - kWh
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
2013-14
1,000,000
2014-15
500,000
0
Water - Gallons
9,000,000
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
2013-14
2014-15
Gas - Ccf
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2013-14
2014-15