Custodial Services
Custodial services for McCardell Bicentennial Hall are provided by a team of custodians dedicated to the building. Corridors, classrooms, and public spaces will be cleaned daily. Wastebaskets in offices and most labs will typically be emptied twice per week.
Please note that the custodians do not empty office recycling bins.
Office carpets will be vacuumed regularly, but on a less-frequent basis. During certain times of the year, such as the end of academic terms, the custodians may be required to spend much of their work time in other campus buildings, which will temporarily reduce the level of service that can be supplied to McCardell Bicentennial Hall.
Special requests and messages for the custodians
Requests and messages for the custodians may be left in the Custodial Requests tray in the mail cabinet outside Tim Wickland’s office, room 333. Request forms are available there for your use. You may also e-mail or telephone requests to Tim Wickland or Cathy Ekstrom, and we will forward your request to the custodians.
Cleaning in laboratories
Custodial tasks in laboratories will be performed according to the work schedule established for each laboratory. You may discuss your needs with Cathy Ekstrom, Tim Wickland, or directly with the custodians; or you may use the special request/message process described above.
Please be aware that it is not the custodians’ responsibility to clean up any spills of chemicals or hazardous materials, nor is it their responsibility to determine whether a material that appears to be hazardous is actually nonhazardous. The custodians have been instructed not to touch any questionable materials without first speaking to an STSS staff member or the faculty member in charge of the lab who can confirm that the material is nonhazardous.
All hazardous and biohazardous wastes have specific handling requirements that must be met. Similarly, to protect the custodians, all glass items and sharps are required to be disposed in specially marked containers. For more information on disposal of these particular wastes, see the appropriate sections under Safety and Environmental Issues, above.
Recycling
Building occupants are responsible for emptying their own recycling containers and for sorting recyclables into the collection bins located on each floor in McCardell Bicentennial Hall. Custodial Services does not perform this function. (But see below for information regarding office clean-outs.)
Floors 3 through 5 are provided with built-in recycling bins in each corridor. While more attractive than the portable plastic bins, the built-in bins cannot easily accommodate large cartons or bags of recyclables. Please place these bulky recyclables next to the pillar on the east side of the central staircase.
Floors1, 2, and 6 have portable recycling bins located just off the Great Hall or adjacent to the central staircase. Bulky recyclables may be placed behind or adjacent to the portable bins.
The following materials are required to be recycled in Addison County: paper and cardboard, #1 and #2 plastic containers, glass containers from foods and beverages, and all metals. Other types of glass, including Pyrex, lab glassware, and window glass are not recycled, and should be disposed in a marked lab glass or sharps disposal container.
The College also manages Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap for reuse as packing materials. These items should be left neatly in the location for bulky recyclables on your floor. Peanuts need to be contained in a separate bag or box.
Batteries should not be disposed in the regular trash. Battery disposal tubs are located in MBH 621 (the copier room), MBH 330 (Cathy Ekstrom’s office), and MBH 135 (general repair shop). Large batteries and wet-cell batteries should be taken to the 135 shop.
Please speak with Cathy Ekstrom or Tim Wickland if you expect to be generating a large quantity of recyclables, such as for an office move or clean out. We will arrange for a pickup of these materials, as well as a supply of bags or containers.
Chalk, dry-erase markers, and erasers
The custodians are responsible for ensuring that a sufficient supply of chalk, markers, and erasers is maintained in each of the building’s classrooms, study lounges, and informal learning spaces.
Building Maintenance, Renovations, and Installations
Repairs and maintenance to the building and associated equipment are normally handled by Facilities Services, as are lab and office renovations, and installations ranging from shelves and locks to major pieces of built-in equipment.
There is a limited amount of funding available each year for construction, renovation, and installation projects in McCardell Bicentennial Hall. Typically, more requests are submitted than can be honored within a given year. As you might expect, the more a request meets a compelling need in the academic program, the more likely that it will be completed in a timely fashion.
Project requests are prioritized using a number of criteria. In general, health and safety issues are addressed first, followed in order by requests related to teaching needs, research lab and office needs, and finally, enhancements that are not absolutely essential. Also factored in are the impacts on our programs, the overall cost of the project, and any relevant institutional priorities.
Requests for building maintenance or construction services are normally made through Cathy Ekstrom or Tim Wickland. For urgent repairs when you cannot reach one of us, you may contact Facilities Services directly at extension 5472. In this event, please also leave a telephone or e-mail message with Cathy or Tim describing the problem so that we can follow it up.