The Highline Facilities department expects to make hay while the sun shines with a laundry list of projects to be completed.
For example, better weather will allow the Facilities team to start making repairs to underground storm and sewer systems.
As students and staff return to campus, the Facilities team’s work is limited to certain times when trying to access classrooms or spaces being used. Summer leaves more spaces open and accessible for repair and maintenance work.
Aside from summer, Facilities tries to do maintenance in the morning before classes start or at night based on the circumstances, to not to interrupt classes.
“For instance. if a light ballast goes out, leaving the light not working in a classroom, you would not expect a maintenance mechanic to show up in the middle of a class,” said Barry Holldorf, the director of Facilities and Operations.
Holldorf said they have a lot to get done through the rest of the year.
“We do not have a capital project manager right now but they would typically be working with me to scope and design the upcoming projects to get them out to bid and get going over the summer,” Holldorf said.
The renovations to Building 12, where offices of the President and Human Resources are located, and particle renovations on the first and fifth floors of the Library, are just finishing up this month. Also, they have just completed installing a brand new elevator in Building 23.
Beginning this week, thanks to an agreement between Highline and the City of Des Moines, Sound Transit contractor Kiewit Construction will work to create additional parking in the south end of the east parking lot. It will happen between June 1 and Sept. 15 with closing of the entrance of the east lot at 240th.
Highline is also working on finishing the design to get bid documents for Building 23, where a minor project to create faculty space on the third floor is planned. The work will start late summer and last at least 10 to 12 months to complete.
Additionally in the project they are going to make improvements in Building 21, turning the pulmonary function tests lab into two classroom spaces.
They are also attempting to replace the mechanical units on the Building 8 kitchen area freezers.
They also hope to start making electrical repair and improvements to the lightning and electrical infrastructure at the MaST Center in June.
They have a project to install hot water tanks in buildings 7, 13, 14, 17 and 18, so that they can decouple from the Building 24’s 500-gallon domestic potable water tank.
“The plan is to decouple all domestic water from being supplied from the plants as underground pipes are aging and the 500 gallon tanks are not energy efficient,” Holldorf said.
Moreover, they will upgrade building controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in buildings 2, 7, 12, 14, 17 and 23.
There are more plans for summer, such as repair or replacement of parking lot lights, a Campus Master Plan update, and tree trimming and clean-up projects permitted by the city in June.