2007

.. -·-·--· · keeps campus 'running smoothly'

days a week, 24 hours a day...and we gladly respond lo whatever is needed." Not only are maintenance personnel required to work late hours and sometimes weekends, they are also not able to enjoy long holidays - such as Christmas, fall and spring breaks - as most College personnel. And, as Dearing sJ:ated, his crew realizes it is just the nature of the job. "When joining the maintenance staff, everyone knows that they are going to be called on when everybody else is not on the job, and that is actually when a lot ofmaintenance work takes place So not getting all the holidays is something realized up front and everyone just accepts it, and I never have complaints about it," Dearing stated. . Although his crew does agreat job performing its many tasks on a daily basis, Dearing said the challenge for the group is keeping up with demand, which includes completing major proj– ects without disrupting schovl activities. "Uke other community colleges, we are chal– lenged to meet the needs ofour growing campus with limited funding. But I feel we are keeping pace with the amount ofwork needed to keep the college going." Dearing stated. Recent additions to the campus include the completion of Phase II of the Eddie M. Smith Student Union, the East Mall renovation project and renovation ofseveral classrooms on the Col– lege's South Campus. Another recent addition is the new F. Clinton Russell Maintenance Complex, located on Hwy. 15. The facility, named for the former physical director, "has greatly enhanced" the maintenance department, according to Dearing. 'Thanks to the new facility, delivery trucks no longer have to come to campus o it cuts down on traffic, and we now have adequate space for all our departments and College vehicles and even a break room, which everyone enjoys very much. It's just a great facility and plays a large part in helping us keep from being 'noticed,' if you know what I mean!'' Dearing quipped. Members of the College's main· enance depart– ment include CindyTucker, secretary; Wes Chan– dler, Daniel Bene', Adam Foreman, Alton Foreman, Artie Foreman, Anthony Glenn, Mickey Houston, Michael 'vlcWhirter, Sean Mowdy, Dewey Nelson. - .1ion Russell, Stuart Tune and James Stev' :5, members of the day shift: Martha Patrick. Lonnie Adams, Evenell Sanders and SilesaWilson, day shift custodians; and Margie-Gill, Billy Lucroy, BuffieMartin, Ber– nice McCune, Rosie Warnsley, Verstell Warnsley, HenryWroten, Delois Houston and Grover Cox, night shift custodians.

A LITTLE TRIM Among maintenance personnel responsible for properly maintaining campus grounds is Damion Russell, shown cutting grass near the Vincent Administration Building. staff of people who could get a job anywhere because they are skilled in all different types of work. They are good craftsmen, good workers.... and I feel very fortunate to have assembled such a talented, hard-working and dedicate group of people." Dearing stated. Such dedication of the maintenance staffwas never more evident than following Hurricane Katrina. After working long hou_rs the week after the deadly storm in getting the EC campus ready to resume operation. several staff members volun– teered their time and expertise in assisting Pear River Community Colle~e in Poplar\ ·ue with its clean-up and restorati••n t:tfort~ "Everyone on the staffactually volumeered to go to Pearl River.'' DParing recalled. "but ob\i– ously some people nt:eded to o;tay here. But I was so proud that they were all "o dedicated and wanted to help out a fellow community college, which was in dire need of assistance following the hurricane." Dearing said working long hours is nothing unusual for the maintenance staff. "If a water leak occurs on the weekend - even on l\ewYear's E,, , which happened in 1999- maintenance staff members are called to ftx the problem. If a power o~tage occurs on a Sunday morning, maintenance personnel respond to the situation. And when our athletic tean1s or other groups travel throughout the state and even to places like New York. Orlando, San Antonio or wherever. maintenance personnel are driving the vehicles ne-eded for trano;portation. You can easily say that the mainteni111ce staff is on call seven