Talking Stick - May/June 2016 - 63

Wetli: I really feel there will be a
big surge in mobile work order
management over the next 10 to 15
years. It was 20 to 25 years ago when
computerized maintenance management
systems were really starting to become
commonplace; however, there are still
a lot of manual paper-driven processes.
With the cost dropping on tablet
interfaces it has made mobile solutions
more practical; even for us it wasn't until
a couple years ago that we had a product
that wasn't limited to mobile ruggedized
computers that made hardware costs
hard to swallow. As these costs drop and
the trend worldwide towards big data
increases, I believe more and more staff
will start putting the CMMS literally
directly in the technician's hand.
Skinner: I think that for many Canadian
schools sustainability continues to be a
high-impact area we are continuing to
explore. New builds are taking advantage
of sustainable products and emerging
technologies; however, we have a large
number of existing buildings that are
in need of significant maintenance and
upgrade. As we look at those projects,
we are aware that we need to look for
new avenues to bring old inventory
up to current/future standards. We
are focused on finding partners for
the sustainable diversion of waste we
remove during renovations (furniture,
construction materials, etc.) as well as
incorporating cost effective, innovative
sustainable technologies that enhance
the housing landscape and meet the
needs of current residents as well as
those of future residents.
Wetli: In terms of sustainability and
existing buildings, you bring up a great
topic. Again we have a lot of focus on
new builds and cost/sustainability
from senior leadership. This is good
and should continue; however, the
next step is really how do we have
sustainable operations and maintenance
for existing infrastructure? A program
that I haven't heard of being pursued
much in higher ed is LEED-EBOM, or
LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations

and Maintenance. In some ways this
program is better than standard LEED
because it requires an evaluation period
where data is collected before and after
to show energy savings versus LEED
new construction that just compares the
building to a theoretical code minimum
building. I can't remember if our
Canadian colleagues are followers of
LEED. I want to say from research that
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers
Association International) might have a
Canadian program.
Skinner: We do follow LEED for new
builds; I will have to look into LEEDEBOM. Thanks for the tip.
Jahr: About a year ago there was some
discussion regarding looking at our
existing buildings to see what it would
take to get them LEED-certified, but
that kind of fizzled out, or at least I have
not been a part of those conversations.
Something else that probably should
be considered is when you are building
new it is relatively easy to follow along
and get the points to be LEED-certified,
but then there are some things after the
building that have to continue such as
surveys of the occupants of the building
to make sure that it is doing what the
building should be doing. For our
newest complex, we have to do a survey
in the winter and again in the fall to
maintain our LEED certification. It is
fairly simple to do, but it is something
that someone has to remember to
organize or it will fall between the
cracks.
Wetli: Seriously, I'm glad to hear that
LEED is requiring that at least. Early on
that was one of the major criticisms,
in that sometimes you do things to get
points that - if they aren't actually used
- are not really green. I was touring
a campus a few years back that for
new buildings put tons of bike lockers
outside. We asked if they were used
and were told they were used very little,
but they kept putting them up because
they got LEED credits for alternative
transportation.

Jahr: Keeping up with an ever-changing
workforce, most of our facilities area will
be retiring in the next 10 years, and the
skills they have mastered will be leaving
with them. Fewer people are attending
the trade schools, making it difficult to
find replacements that understand the
benefits for working at the state versus
working in the industry.
Wetli: I agree with Drew 100
percent that an aging workforce is a
huge problem in the facilities area.
Maintenance and custodial aren't
seen as sexy by our K-12 students. In
addition, there has been a decrease in
funding to schools, which leads to cuts
in trade classes in the middle and high
school levels, and this has occurred
along with an increase in the technical
requirements for newer building
systems. Modern HVAC (heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning)
controls almost require the technician to
be an electrical engineer to understand
control circuits and BMS/ECS (Building
Management Systems/Electrical Control
Systems) programs. All this combined
makes me believe we are racing towards
a critical point for facilities management
industry even outside of higher ed.
Those that do pursue trades find there
is more money in the construction
industry than the maintenance industry
as well, which usually draws the talent
away from our institutions.
Skinner: I agree that the aging workforce
will be a growing problem. Specifically
as it relates to housing on campus, there
are fewer and fewer people who have a
background that includes mechanical
and technical expertise and student life.
We often see property managers from
exterior condo companies applying to
facilities housing roles. They may be
talented people in their field, but they
struggle to understand the nuances of
housing and our unique clients. 

MAY + JUNE 2016

63
Talking Stick - May/June 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - May/June 2016
