Window costs cut through mailing

When John Howard, structural maintenance manager, was at Philips Gym one day he saw a bb-sized hole in a window. With that sight came the idea that repairing the small hole would be much less expensive than replacing the entire glass.

"I'm always on the look for these kinds of things," Howard said.

Howard's idea was the impetus behind an all-campus mailing that students received during midterms week asking them to report any of these bb-sized holes to Howard before they begin to "spider." Spidering is when holes create larger cracks that spread out from the original hole. When glass spiders, it must be replaced.

According to Howard, such replacement can cost up to several thousand dollars.

Howard said that as a result of the mailing he has already received five or six calls reporting such holes. He said he is optimistic because the cost of the all-campus mailing, $150, has already been met and surpassed by the money saved through these reports.

He said he hopes to send out similar mailings every year to keep students aware of the role they can play in preventing additional costs.

According to Howard, the holes can be caused by a car kicking up a stone, vandalism and also actual bb or pellet guns.

Howard sees other areas where student involvement and cooperation can cut cost and labor for the College - graffiti, littering, propped open doors and broken keys were areas he mentioned. "As a whole we can work together to keep costs down," he said.

Graffiti clean-up is a source of substantial costs. "Anything you see painted, I have to go send one or two guys with a power washer to clean it up," Howard said. "You can wind up with several hundred dollars in cost."

Howard said he was thinking of involving students in the process of preventing some of these maintenance costs.

As for littering, Howard said that students' carelessness can lead to hours of unnecessary work for grounds people. "A little bit of common sense and courtesy [would be helpful]" he said.

"We have a lot of craftsmen here - carpenters, plumbers, groundsmen. It is more than just a job to them," Howard said. "They take pride in their work."

As far as other possible preventative measures, Howard spoke of keys and doors. He said that if students brought in cracked keys rather than waiting until the keys break off in their lock, replacement costs can be cut.

He also said that by closing doors which are propped open, students can help prevent the eventual "door distortion" this practice produces. This will in turn prevent costs, according to Howard.