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BROWN UNIVERSITYFACILITIESMANAGEMENTSPRING 2010FAC I L I TI E SN E WSA NOTE OF THANKSINSIDE THIS ISSUE: THANK YOU FROMSTUDENT1 FAMIS/IMPACT ONBUSINESS SUPPORT2 LAWN CARE TIPS3 SUGGESTION BOX FILEMAKER UPDATE4 WINGS & THINGS ENERGY TIP5 SECURITY SCANSCAM TRASH REMOVAL6 DORM INSPECTION FITNESS/AQUATICCENTER7 RETIREES REMINDERS8 SAVE THE DATEScience Center opens at Sci LiAs we prepare to close out thefiscal year and review the departments goals for this pastyear and prepare goals for nextyear, I am reminded that theenormous amount of work thatstaff have accomplished aswell as our charitable effort isundeniably deserving of admiration. Thank you all.Knowing that many staff wereimpacted by the recent flooding, please be reminded thatSupport Services for staff areavailable (http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Human Resources/downloads/SupportServices.pdf). If you arein need of assistance, pleasereview the list of services thatare available or let your super-visor know.Knowing the difficulties facedby many, I continued to be encouraged by Facilities’ staffwillingness to help others inneed. Whether it’s the tremendous response that was received when the universitycalled upon Custodial staff (as aresult of a request from ServeRhode Island) to assist lastSaturday with the clean up ofbasements of elderly Providence residents or the simplerequest for tree trimmings (asnoted in the email below fromsenior Daria Marinelli), Facilities’ staff are prepared to lend ahand to those in need. Thankyou.In this issue of Facilities Newsyou will find a variety of interesting articles, ranging from theimpact the recent changes toFAMIS have had on the Business Support group to LawnCare Tips from Grounds Superintendent Pat Vetere.Lastly, best wishes to our manyfriends in Facilities Management who will retire either onApril 15 or June 30. (See thelist on Pages 7 and 8.) Wewish you all the very best!Sincerely,Vice PresidentFacilities ManagementEMAIL TO FM STAFF FROM DARIA MARINELLI ‘10The following note was sent toFacilities Management regarding the support received fromFacilities staff. Thank you forperforming your duties in amanner that would prompt ourcustomers to write a letter ofthanks.“My name is Daria Marinelliand I'm currently a senior atBrown University. I'm also currently directing a show at Production Workshop that is inneed of tree branches and trimmings.In my search for branches onMonday, I ran into Dave, part ofthe Grounds Crew, Division 5,who was incredibly helpful andgracious in letting me takesome trimmings and even helping me transport them to T. F.Green Hall.I write this comment to thankboth Dave and the Facilitiescrew in general, here at Brown.I've learned that one of Brown'score values is community, andone of the ways I have feltmost supported and most partof the community is throughthe wonderful work that Facilities does to empower and support us, as students, in all thatwe endeavor to do. Thank youso much for your tireless workday in and day out.All my best,Daria Marinelli”
FACILITIES NEWSPage 2FAMIS RE-IMPLEMENTATION IMPACT ON BUSINESS SUPPORTThe re-implementation of FAMIS has had an all-encompassingonline in greater detail, saving time, effort, and paper by elimieffect on the operation of the Business Support group, changnating monthly mailings of hard copy bills.ing virtually every aspect of our daily business, including mostPerhaps the most innovative aspect of the recent renotably the areas of procurement of materials and services,implementation, as it relates to Business Support, is the interas well as interdepartmental (sold service) billing. Afterface between FAMIS and the University’s financial records sysspending several months and countless hours of careful andtem (FRS) for the procurement of materials and services. Indetailed planning, process mapping, and testing, processesthe area of procuring services, we were able to eliminate yethave been completely revamped, achieving not only adminisanother stand-alone system for recording purchase requisitrative savings but significantly improved availability of infortions, that being the Filemaker PREQs system. Instead of remation for performance measurement. As the old adagequestors inputting information into Filemaker, printing outgoes, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” The besthard copies and forwarding them to Business Support for reexample of where we have added measurement is in the areakeying into FRS, the process has been streamlined wherebyof work order costing, allowing for the proper assignment ofrequestors input their requests directly intomaterials and contracted services costs to inDo you know what the acro- FAMIS, which then interfaces with FRS to passdividual work orders, in addition to the labornym “FAMIS” stands for?this information on automatically, eliminatingcosts which we added to work orders in the(answer at the end of this more double-entry. More exciting still, Faciliprevious implementation of FAMIS on April 4,ties Management is the first department atarticle)2004. This will in turn enable Facilities ManBrown that the university has allowed to inputagement to measure our efficiency and effecinvoices locally for payment through the sametiveness in the performance of our daily services, routineinterface with FRS. This eliminated the need for forwardingmaintenance, preventative maintenance, etc.our invoices to the university’s central Accounts Payable Office, saving paper, time, interdepartmental mail, and followWith the recent implementation of the inventory module ofup. Although most of that time savings was actually realizedFAMIS, Facilities Management was able to eliminate Wordby the Accounts Payable Office (estimated at one-half of anstock, an outdated, materials management system, which wasFTE), it was still well worth it for Facilities Management incopied from the Brown Bookstore’s operation when Stores fellother savings we achieved, and in the improved availability ofunder that auxiliary. This eliminated the need for CIS and ourinformation by having these invoices in FAMIS.own Systems & Services’ staff to support this stand-alone system, as well as eliminating a myriad of production jobs, reThe real benefit of all of this is that we now have available aports, and interfaces that went along with it. (We also realizedfull range of cost information associated with each work ordera cost savings from the annual software licensing and supportand process in one place, which will assist us in analyzing ourassociated with Wordstock.)operation to identify inefficiencies and other areas for improvement in ways that are limited only by our creativity andWith the implementation of the billing module of FAMIS, wewere able to eliminate the previous Facilities Management inimagination in the use of this information. It will also help usterdepartmental billing system (affectionately referred to asto more accurately track costs by individual facility to further“POP”), which was designed in the early 1990’s by a studentidentify areas of potential savings, and help us to improve ourrequests for funding to maintain future facilities at an approworking for the then Plant Operations department (thus thepriate level.name POP). This system also required a good deal of CIS andFacilities’ Systems & Services support (including several proAlthough we have come a long way, there is still much moreduction jobs, reports, and interfaces), and an even greaterwe can do with FAMIS; and over the coming months, we will beamount of manual data entry, all of which was duplication ofintroducing more operational improvements through automainformation from our other systems. The elimination of POPtion and elimination of paper-based and redundant processes.has resulted in significant administrative savings, IT support,We look forward to working with you on more exciting improveand operational redundancy. By using the FAMIS customerments made possible through FAMIS!billing option, Facilities Management is able to grant departments the ability to view their invoices and work order detailsQuiz Answer: Facility Asset Management Information System
SPRING 2010Page 3LAWN CARE TIPS FROM GROUNDSThe following tipswere compiledfrom a variety ofsources byGrounds Superintendant PatVetere. Click herefor the full text onthe following sections: History, Environmental Benefits, PlantGrowth, Fertilize, Lime, Mowing, Watering, Aeration, Weeds, and Insects .tural practice associated with lawn maintenance is mowing. It also requires the mosttime and labor. When considering the possibleeffects mowing may have on the turf grassplant, remember that the plant is designed bynature to grow and mature at a height far in access of selected mowing heights. Mowing iscritical to lawn success because it is not naturaland upsets natural growth patterns in the plant.The most apparent effect is reduced leaf surface which manufactures and supplies theplant with food, both usable and stored. Duringperiods of stress, the plant draws on these reserves in order to survive. Therefore the big-History—Historians have written about the lawnswhich appeared in Persian, Greek,and Roman gardens before the birthof Christ. A form of soccer was playedon public greens in England duringthe 16th century and grasses werecultured for use in lawn gardens,flower gardens, pleasure gardens,and greens during the 16th and 17thcenturies throughout Europe. Themain green of Brown was laid outduring the early 1800’s and the firstLawn at Rochambeauformal research on turf grasses andtheir culture were initiated in the United Statesgest cause for lawn problems can be attributedin Michigan, New Haven, Connecticut, and Kingto mowing height and frequency. Mowing atston, RI around 1890.lower than optimum heights seriously impairsFertilize—Why Fertilize? We fertilize to improvethe plants ability to function, especially duringcolor, density, texture, and uniformity. It alsoperiods of stress. The resulting death may bemeans a better resistance to weeds, insects, disfalsely attributed to insects, disease, cold, heatease, drought, cold, and wear. Usually fertilizeror drought, when in fact the food reserves werecontains one or more of the three primary plantnot high enough to carry it through the period.nutrients—Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P2O5), andIn short, do not mow low. Mowers should bePotash (K2O). This is true of both organic andset at no lower than 2.5 inches.commercial fertilizers. Fertilizers are refined orAeration—Growing plants need plenty of air andupgraded products of nature and contain nothwater. Certain soils become compacted anding that is not already present in productive soil.seal out these essential elements. Thatch orClick here or go to http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/decomposing organic matter may also accumuFacilities Management/docs/newsletter/late decreasing infiltration and movement ofFM News Spring 2010 LawnCalendar.pdf for a chart ofnutrients, water and air into the soil.what and when to apply. Always apply fertilizerswith a rotary spreader and just before it is goingto rain or your able to thoroughly water.Mowing—Perhaps the single most important cul-For the full article, go to http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Facilities Management/docs/newsletter/FM News Spring 2010 LawnCare.pdfFACILITIESMANAGEMENTMISSIONThe mission of FacilitiesManagement is to support the University byenhancing the quality ofphysical facilities. We dothis through planning,designing, engineering,constructing, and maintaining in a responsive,service-oriented, effective, and environmentally-conscious manner.SUGGESTIONBOXESSuggestion boxes can befound in the break roomsat 295 Lloyd and in theCustodial Key Stations.We encourage you tocontinue to submit yoursuggestions. Since beinginstalled, more than 150suggestions have beenreceived, with many being implemented, including the suggestion toinstall a bike rack at 295Lloyd for staff and customer use.Ride your bike to work!Check out the new bikerack at 295 Lloyd.
FACILITIES NEWSPage 4FILEMAKER UPDATEBIM MODELINGFOR THE CACfor the plan/specification andsubmittal review process. Byclicking a link on the overview page, within FileMaker,the user is provided with thecurrent status of projectdrawings, specifications andsubmittals that have beensent for review.Planning Design & Construction has been maintainingand developing a FileMakerdatabase of construction project information since theearly 90’s. Information available in this peer-to-peer database includes project description, schedules, staffingand budget information—information that is used invarious ways, including reporting, work load determination, tracking project costs,etc. and includes some datathat dates back to 1984.The database is used as aworking “dashboard” (controlpanel so to speak) for projectmanagers to manage anddisseminate project information and has recently beenexpanded to include Engineering, CAD and Preventative Maintenance data.The expanded Filemaker database allows the project engineer to anticipate turnoverof the project, log informationand schedule walkthroughs,training and turnover dates.Facilities’ CAD staff developed a Document Inventorycomponent to the databasePreventative Maintenancestaff can now easily access aproject and find the status ofdeliverables. A preventativemaintenance schedule canthen be generated in FAMISafter reviewing the documents.This additional input of datafrom engineering, CAD, andpreventative maintenance,with the support of projectmanagers, will help facilitatecommunication between Facilities Management officesand review of documents relating to project turnover andmore.BROWN WELCOMESIf wings are your thing theReal Estate office is pleasedto announce an agreementhas been reached for Wings& Things to open later thissummer at the Brook StreetMini-Mall located at 250Brook Street. Wings & Thingswill offer a wide variety ofsandwiches as well as several entrée items, from fish &chips to clam cakes andchowder. But, wings are thespecialty every day. Patronswill be able to choose from21 flavors of delicioussauces, which range frommild to atomic, for those ofyou who like to “eat” on theedge!Wings & Things is leasing theend unit of the Brook Streetmini-mall from Farview, Inc.,Brown’s real estate subsidiary. This space was formerlyoccupied by University Laundromat and has been vacantfor over a year. Construction,of the improvements, is wellunderway under the carefuloversight of Project ManagerBill Gaudet. (There is notruth to the rumor that Billhas negotiated a specialwings deal for the annual Facilities Management Tailgateouting.)This location (owned and operated by the owners of theRiverside, Rhode IslandWings & Things) is expectedto be open in the very nearfuture.
SPRING 2010Page 5SPRING ENERGY TIP - WATER CONSERVATIONAlthough the northeast hadmore than its fair share ofwater (in the form of rain andflooding) in March, the energy tip for April is none otherthan water conservation. Sofar this year, Brown has reduced its water consumptionby more than 10 percent.There are many tried andtrue water savings opportunities that can help you reduceyour energy consumption andconserve water at home.Consider the following:Check for toilet tank leaks byadding food coloring to thetank. If the toilet is leaking,color will appear in the toiletbowl within 30 minutes.(Flush as soon as test isdone, since food coloringmay stain tank.) Usually, theculprit is the flapper valve inthe tank, which is relativelyeasy to replace and availableat hardware stores.Repair dripping faucets by re-placing washers. If your faucet is dripping at a rate ofone drop per second, you canexpect to waste 2,700 gallons per year.On average, a fifth of household water use is used forshowering. Install low-flowshower heads. Showerheads can use as much asfive to six gallons of water perminute. Low-flow showerheads are available as low as1/2 a gallon per minute up to2.5 gallons per minute, saving water and the energy toheat the water. For as littleas 20, you can save asmuch as 200 per year inwater and energy costs.Think about replacing thosebulky storage water heaterswith an instant (tank-less)water heater. These unitsheat water directly withoutthe use of a storage tank,avoiding the standby heatloss associated with storagetype water heaters.When replacing your washingmachine, purchase a washing machine with an EnergyStar logo and compare energy and water use ratingsbefore making your purchase. Front-loading washingmachines use on averagehalf the energy, water, anddetergent of most conventional top-loading washingmachines.If you water your lawn, put iton a timer. The best time towater a lawn is between 4:00AM and 6:00 AM to minimizeevaporation. Putting mulcharound plants and shrubs isalways a good way to minimize watering requirements.Don’t allow the water to runwhen brushing your teeth.This can waste 2 to 3 gallonsof water per brushing! Instead, wet your toothbrush,brush your teeth, and thenturn the water on again torinse.FREE SECURITY SCAN SCAMFacilities’ IT staff has beenreceiving an increase in thenumber of reports concerning“Free Security Scans.”Please read the following tolearn what to be aware ofand what you should do tominimize your risk.Messages telling you to install and update security software for your computer seemto be everywhere. So youmight be tempted by an offerof a “free security scan,” especially when faced with apop-up, an email, or an adthat claims “malicious software” has already beenfound on your machine. Unfortunately, it’s likely that thescary message is a come-onfor a rip-off.The free scan claims to find ahost of problems, and withinseconds, you’re getting urgent pop-ups to buy securitysoftware. After you agree tospend 40 or more on thesoftware, the program tellsyou that your problems arefixed. The reality:there was nothing tofix. And what’sworse, the programnow installed onyour computer couldbe harmful.For more information go to:METCALFRENOVATIONPROJECT TOBEGINCONSTRUCTIONIN JUNEBrown University will renovate approximately 74,000gsf within the existingMetcalf Chemistry Laboratory and Metcalf ResearchLaboratory which are part ofthe larger Metcalf Complex.The renovation will providea new home for the recentlymerged Departments ofCognitive and LinguisticSciences and the Department of Psychology. Theoverall scope of the projectincludes complete interiorand exterior renovation ofthe es Management/docs/newsletter/FM News Spring 2010 SecScan.pdf
SPRING 2010Page 6TRASH REMOVAL HAS BEEN REDUCED?Have you noticed lately thatyour desk-side trash and recycling is no longer picked upon a daily basis? If not,you’re among the majority ofBrown staff who haven’t noticed the change in services.In an effort toimprove efficiency and reduce cost,the CustodialDivision began a pilot program to reduce trash and recycling pickup service. InMarch of 2009, the pilot program was introduced at theFacilities Management building and expanded in June toinclude the Brown OfficeBuilding. Last August theprogram was expanded to include 21 additional buildingswho have administrative support space.During the pilot program,I DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE desk-side trash removal wasreduced to twice per week,recycling was reduced to being collected once per week,and office cleaning was reduced to once per week. Theresults were not only effective they were transparent tomost, if not all, building occupants.As recommended bythe Organizational ReviewCommittee’sFacilities and Facilities Utilization Team , the pilot program (modeled after similarprograms at the University ofMinnesota and the Universityof Vermont) was greeted withsuccess and was subsequently approved by the Corporation at their last meetingin February.Beginning April 15, 2010,this small program that began as a bright idea will beimplemented campus-wide,with the exception of classrooms and research spaces,which are not impacted bythe change.As a reminder, food wasteshould be disposed of in centralized trash and recyclingareas, as kitchen and restroom trash will continue to beremoved daily.Custodial hopes to graduallyincorporate other seamlessand environmentallyconscious measures intotheir services, which will result in additional savings tothe University. Those measures include installing handdryers in bathrooms and using Green-Certified foamhand soap. Look for news regarding thesechanges soon.The Alpert Medical School will be moving into the heart of Providence's historic Jewelry District at 222Richmond Street, a 134,000 gsf building. The building interior will be completely renovated into aSAVE THE DATEDORMINSPECTIONS!With Commencement justa little morethan a monthaway, Facilities’ annualdorm inspection will takeplace on Monday, May 24,2010.In adhering to past practice(one that was establishedtwo years ago) of utilizingonly Facilities’ staff for theinspections, more than3,000 rooms will be inspected by experiencedstaff who have an understanding of our campusfacilities. Utilizing Facilities’staff will ensure that accurate and necessary data iscollected.Staff will be asked to attenda training/overview sessionand to commit up to fourhours on inspection day.The dates for the training/overview sessions will beannounced in April.Rendering of Richmondstreet based on area master plan developed by Kliment Halsband.
SPRING 2010Page 7FITNESS AND AQUATICS CENTERRETIREESApril 15With a total of 26 staff retiring between April 15 andJune 30, with them will go atotal of 340 years of years ofservice, with the number ofyears at the university ranging from 11 years to 44years.Please join me in wishingeach of them best wishes intheir retirement and thankingthem for their many years ofoutstanding service to theuniversity and the Department of Facilities Management.To you all, “To all the dayshere and after may they befilled with fond memories,happiness, and laughter.”We wish you all the best!Years of ServicePeter Barchi, Custodial Shift Assistant27Fred Barra, Plumbing Supervisor44Alcina Carvalho Lopes, Custodian II12Manual DaRosa, Custodian II40Leonel Delgado, Custodian II20Maria Francisco, Custodian II22John Furtado, Equipment Mechanic12Acrisio Marques, Custodial Shift Asst.22Noe Rocha, Custodian II22June 30Joel Arnold, Custodial Shift Assistant37Myles Beese, Stationary Eng. Operator20Gerald Belton, Service Response Coordinator12Anette Costa, Custodian II11Joao DeLima, Custodian II13CONTINUED ON LAST PAGENelson Fitness Center andKatherine Moran ColemanAquatics CenterA new 87,000 sf fitnessand aquatics center is being designed and built bythe design-build team ofShawmut and Robert A.M.Stern Architects, with ToddRader Amy Crews Landscape Architecture, LLCdesigning the landscape.This project will include a10,000 sf fitness loft, 3exercise/dance studios, acafe/lobby, approximately10,000 sf of lockers, support, and administrationspace, a 12,000 sf strengthand conditioning facility forvarsity athletes, and a newquadrangle as art of theathletics complex.
Offices: CustodialEngineeringEvents SupportFinanceHuman Resources andLabor RelationsMaintenance ServicesPlanning Design &ConstructionService Response CenterStores OperationsSystems and ServicesReal EstateNewsletter Team: DonnaButler, Trisha Duff, MarcElderkin, Peter Fox, LichenGrewer, Ginger Gritzo, MikeLopes, Tracy Mansour, AmyMorton, Paula Penelton,Victor RebeloContributors: Lisa Betcher,Scott Lloyd and Jack WilcoxCOMINGS & GOINGSCONTINUED FROM PAGE7Years of ServicePosition Vacancies—We are recruiting forseveral positions. Click Here or go to ameset/Frameset.jsp?time 1271103822494June 30Marc Elderkin, Information Systems Technician11for a list of vacancies.Jose Fortes, Custodian II23REMINDERSLinda Laferriere, Executive Assistant20Daniel Lapolla, Stationary Engineer Mechanic20Gaspar/Arzoomanian Award—Nominationsdue by April 23Manual Lopes, Custodian II21Sahadeo Maraj, Water Treatment Technician13Gonsalo Moreira, Custodian II25Souvanna Nanthavongsa, Custodian II29John Osei, Custodial Supervisor27Robert Raposa, Custodian II20Adelina Soares, Custodian II22Christine Smith, Administrative Assistant16Have a question about your uniforms orsafety goggles? Contact Stores Operations atx3-2734.Continue to submit your Facilities Management suggestions. Suggestion boxes arelocated at 295 Lloyd and at the various keystations.SAVE THE DATEStaff Development Day—Thursday, June 3rd.Dorm Inspections -Monday, May 24thStewards’ Meeting — 1st Wed. of each month.CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEWSLETTERThis edition of Facilities News includes information regarding many of our efforts underway. It has been written to provide all Facilities Management employees with information regarding Department activities across the various offices. If you have any suggestions for articles orwould like to contribute to Facilities News please contact FM Newsletter@Brown.edu.
rently directing a show at Pro-duction Workshop that is in In this issue of Facilities News you will find a variety of inter-esting articles, ranging from the impact the recent changes to FAMIS have had on the Busi-ness Support group to Lawn Care Tips from Grounds Super-intendent Pat Vetere. Lastly, best wishes to our many
