Blogettes! What are you doing reading this? Get outside! We are having one of those false spring attacks. You know how it goes: temps rise to 50’s, sunshine, snow melts (well most of it anyway), everyone under the age of 35 walks around in shorts, and general giddyness abounds. Just when we get comfy, mama nature pulls the terra firma from under us and SMACK! back to winter. That’s what’s happening here today. By tomorrow, we are expecting snow and wind gusts up to 55mph. Back to reality….
And speaking of reality, last week I gave a tip of the hat to our terrific grounds department and the fine work they do in keeping us safe. Manager Dan Schied reminded me that it really is a team effort by all University Facilities and Services staff to keep us going. He’s absolutely right, so I would like to give mega shout-outs to staff like Environmental Services. At the Medical Center, Memorial Art Gallery, Eastman School of Music and River Campus our ESWs pull double duty by keeping areas clean and entrances safe by constantly wet-vaccing, mopping, changing floor mats; doing whatever it takes to make sure folks are safe inside our buildings as well as out. The crew at Mail Services don’t get a break either. That postal saying: Through rain, sleet or snow… well our crews live that too. Our couriers are on the roads, moving the mail and important medical information. They help save lives. Our Central Utilities plant keeps us warm, and our Trades staff keep buildings humming along no matter how many feet of snow we get. Our Customer Service Center dispatches work and communicates conditions at an exhausting rate.We’d be in chaos without our Parking staff organizing lots, arranging for lots to be plowed and keeping traffic flowing at a safe rate. Please give them an atta-girl or atta-boy when you see them. They stay outside in awful weather to help you. Security is right on top of things, also in maintaining safety. Snow and ice doesn’t slow them down a bit.
So, here’s a heartfelt thank you to the 1100+ members of University Facilities and Services from snow removal to communication of conditions, from pounding the pavement to pounding a keyboard, the business of the University of Rochester is in good hands due to the dedication of this great department.