Facilities works its magic during summer break

By Mark Muckenfuss

In the quiet of summer, when students and faculty are gone from the Cal State Monterey Bay campus, the still of the day is broken only by the sound of the wind, the rumble of heavy equipment and the groan of power tools. 

That’s right, there is no “quiet of summer,” says Julie Wyrick, associate vice president for Facilities Management. 

“Facilities never sleeps,” Wyrick said, “and summer is no exception. While the students and faculty are away, my team is hard at work preparing the campus for the fall semester. This is our busiest time of year, trying to fit in as much work as possible into three months before school starts.” 

This summer, much of the work focused on replacing pipes in the Sanderling and Tortuga dorm buildings. Stacks of sheet rock and giant dumpsters were parked along the edge of Lot 18, a section of which was cordoned off with temporary chain-link fencing to provide security for workers’ vehicles and construction equipment.

Wyrick said replacing the old pipes, which were prone to leaks, meant ripping out a lot of the walls in the dorms.

In addition, she said, there were “upgrades to the dining commons, getting the residence halls ready for the students and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) improvements at the childcare center.”

Wyrick said a lot of work goes into deciding which projects need to take priority and which are best to do in the summer when work crews are less disruptive to campus life. 

The aging plumbing in the dorms, much of which is original to the Fort Ord Army Base that preceded CSUMB, was seen as a critical issue. Upgrading it, Wyrick said, means “we can experience fewer leaks and failures and extend the life of the buildings.”

Other projects were important as well. 

“The dining commons is getting improvements to be able to serve more students in the fall,” Wyrick said. “This includes renovating the serving areas to accommodate more people, improving accessibility and installing additional cooking equipment to prepare higher volumes of food.”

In addition, crews spent time replacing electrical transformers, which tend to corrode from the salt air of the ocean, and performing maintenance on dorm rooms, such as painting and minor repairs.

“Tony Cabeca, Ole Fernandez and their teams of skilled carpenters, plumbers and electricians have completed so many repairs this summer that many students will be moving into brand new rooms,” Wyrick said. 

Students who are parents may appreciate the new air conditioning that was installed in the childcare center. It means that the center now has an infant room. Air conditioning is a requirement for such a space. 

“Now, on the few hot days we have, the children will remain nice and cool,” she said.

Knowing that, she added, provides the work crews with motivation. 

Summer break, she said, “is a stressful time for my team, but extremely rewarding when we see the smiles on the students' faces at move-in and when classes begin.”