Physical Plant director holds down the fort

Well, Ronnie Brooks, the associate director of Physical Plant and Planning, does just that. He has over 20 years of experience in his field, six at The University of Memphis. Brooks gave The Daily Helmsman an inside look at the challenges and responsibilities involved in helping to maintain campus buildings.

Brooks explained that physical plant is set up to take care of things that came with the buildings, and unfortunately, many older buildings were not built with systems that are standard now. "We are a maintenance staff. We maintain what's already there -- (things like) air conditioning, the roof and lighting," he said.

Brooks handles the stress of his work with humor. He said he and his colleagues have adopted a military motto when it comes to meeting demands from The U of M community.

"The extraordinary we do everyday. The impossible takes a little longer," he said with a laugh.

Many in The U of M community say Brooks not only knows how to solve problems, but is also pleasant to work with.

Al Simpson, manager of Environmental Health and Safety, said Brooks is a "great guy." Karen Newman, who has worked for physical plant for 20 years, said Brooks' demeanor makes him a joy to work for.

"He's always smiling, and faces all crises and obstacles with a level head," she said.

Brooks addressed concerns about buildings that may not be all that students and administrators want them to be.

When asked about the campus art building that students say gets really hot in the summer because it has no air conditioning, Brooks said he understands their complaint, but unfortunately, the building never had air conditioning. In fact, he said the several fans that protrude into the hallways and may look outdated to some students, are actually upgrades -- the building didn't come with them at all.

Brooks said the staff responds to all calls, but low visibility of maintenance staff can also fuel misunderstandings.

"Sometimes because the controls aren't in the same room with the problem, they don't see us," he said, "Sometimes I'll get a phone call saying 'we never saw anyone come over,' and (the problem is) already fixed."

However, Brooks said the physical plant staff strives to improve communication and let people know they have fixed a problem.

"We do try to leave a little blue card. Sometimes the guy may run out of cards or forget to leave one, but we do try to leave a card saying that we're here."

Brooks said to further improve communication he would like to see a system established, possibly through the Internet, that would allow anyone who puts in a work order to check on the completion status of that order -- a system similar to what Federal Express implemented to allow customers to track packages. However, Brooks said Fed Ex spent millions to create such a system, and not even the U.S. Postal Service has one, so he doubts if it's financially attainable for The U of M.

Brooks said most of the physical plant staff works overtime.

"Most of us, especially management, work 50- to 60-hour weeks," he said. "I try to limit it (my days) to ten hours," he said, "but there are many 12- to 14-hour days."

Brooks said a lot of time is spent planning ahead, coming up with the best processes to work efficiently, training staff and identifying advancement programs -- largely due to new technology.

However, he said, staffing is often a challenge because many in the pool of skilled trade people are retiring, and younger people aren't going into manual labor.

"Our work is not glamorous. Many young people are going into the dot-com industries," he said.

In addition to pulling people away from manual labor, Brooks said technology also creates challenges for keeping old buildings at a comfortable temperature.

"When you put a computer in a room, it's like putting in another person. It's 24 hours of energy," he said.

"In five years, we've gone from few computers (on campus) to nearly universal computers, and each one of these (computers) is generating heat."

Brooks said the combination of new technology and old buildings is what makes some floors in some buildings hot, while other floors or classrooms in the same building may be cold. He also pointed out that many older buildings at The U of M have floor-to-ceiling windows, which also contribute to the temperature of the classroom.

Brooks also illustrated the challenge of modernizing old equipment, when asked about the number of fume hoods across campus that failed inspection.

He said standards are changing frequently.

"We're trying to keep up with standards that weren't even in existence when the fume hoods were put in," he said.

The state of Tennessee recently allocated more than $3.8 million to begin replacing the fume hoods, a project that may take several months and even more funding to complete.

Another challenge, which is an issue campuswide, is money. Brooks said the physical plant staff tries to get "the most bang for the buck;" however, a shortage of money remains a problem.

"We're given a certain amount of money to maintain facilities," he said. However, when asked if it was enough, Brooks said, it was not."

"The University has a certain amount of money it sets aside for renovations. At some point, a funding source has to be found," he said.

"Most of the funding (for new buildings) come from private donors," he said.

"Donors don't give money for maintenance, they give money for new buildings to get their name on it."

"What happens to us on a daily basis is the department (requesting work) may not have enough money to air condition the whole building. They may want it in a certain place because of research or a certain program. Then five years down the road, someone comes along and says, 'let's air condition the whole building.'"

Brooks said The University's recently-appointed president, Shirley Raines, who has yet to be on campus regularly, is at "the top of the heap," when it comes to prioritizing certain projects.

However, in the meantime, physical plant continues on with the "marching orders they have."