Construction Highlights
WUIS Building - Restroom Renovation
Say good-bye to the old flooring and toilet stools in the restrooms of the WUIS building! A combination of F&S crews and external contractors are replacing the floors and stool fixtures, as well as patching and painting the walls. Material shortages and unexpected conditions have forced changes to the scope of work, which in turn have caused delays, but the final outcome will be a nice improvement.
We sincerely appreciate the continued patience and understanding shown by everyone in WUIS. Thank you!
University Hall Building (UHB) - Patch & Paint Walls
F&S crews will be patching and painting the walls in UHB during the month of November and December. We will be focused on the unsightly holes, tears, and chips in the paint and drywall where signs or fixtures have been removed. Our efforts will concentrate on public/common areas in the building. We will address those issues in classrooms at a later date to avoid disruptions to the learning environment.
Repair at the Intersection of Eliza Farnham and University Drive
The repair to the storm drain that runs along the northbound lane of Eliza Farnham Drive has been completed. Crews had to dig much deeper than originally expected - about 10 feet below the surface - to reach the pipes that needed to be repaired.
Fun fact: the gentleman seen in the photos above unpacking the new stools for WUIS is the same person who had to climb down into the hole and repair the pipe!
Environmental Health & Safety Updates
Ravneet Chhokar, Director of Safety and Environmental Compliance
We completed the annual laboratory safety inspection for all our laboratories in the School of Health Sciences on campus located in HSB. The report was shared with the departments as they were guided for any corrective actions required to be in compliance with regulatory agencies and to ensure the safety of those working in the laboratories.
Environmental Health and Safety along with the F&S electricians conducted the annual fire drills on campus recently. Fire drills provide an opportunity for each student, faculty, and employee to practice exiting a building in the most efficient manner in anticipation of a real emergency. We would like to thank all the participants who completed the drill with us on the drill days.
Motor Pool Winter Tips: Are you ready for winter?
As the temperatures drop, make sure your vehicle is ready for whatever the weather and road conditions throw at it!
Here are some of the basic safety tips we follow for our univerity vehicles:
- Keep the fuel tank full - or at the very least keep it above 1/4 full.
- Have a local shop test your battery so it doesn't leave you stranded.
- Check your tire treads to make sure they're not worn out. The simple penny test is great way to make sure there is 1/16 of an inch or more of tread depth on your tires.
Place a penny head first into several tread grooves around the tire. If the top of Lincoln's head is visible, your treads are shallow and worn, and your tires should be replaced.
| Essential Items to Have in Your Vehicle | Bonus Preparedness Items May Include |
| Blankets | Small fire extinguisher |
| Gloves, socks, and hats | Collapsible shovel |
| Flashlights and batteries | Duct tape and/or string |
| Ice scrapers | Tire repair kit or sealant foam |
| Jumper cables | Non-perishable high-energy food supplies |
| First-aid kit | Rags |
| Multi-tool and/or small tool set | Rain poncho |
| Cones or reflective triangles | Sleeping bag |
| Windshield de-icer | Hand-crank powered radio |
| Tire gauge | Solar cellphone charger |
| Lighter and/or matches (in waterproof container) | Compass with paper map |
F&S New Hires
We are very happy to introduce several new employess that have joined F&S over the last few months:
- Mick Schuerman and David Williams are members of the Steam & Power Plant Engineers
- Thomas Fox has joined the Grounds crew
- Yoselin Gonzalez, Jacob Keenan, Joe Langiano, James Talbert, and Jimmy Talbert are new additions to the Custodial crew
When you see these fantastic people out and about, please say hello and welcome them to UIS!
Parking & Grounds Snow Plan Reminder
SNOW REMOVAL AND PARKING
This winter there will be times after a significant snowfall where Facilities & Services will need your help as we work to clear parking lots of snow. The university’s overall goal is to provide the UIS community with safe and accessible parking after a significant snowfall. Working together, we can make this happen by implementing a “Snow Parking Day” after a significant snowfall.
How a "Snow Parking Day" works:
- Check your email before heading out to campus. When a snow storm is expected or occurs, Parking Operations will send a campus-wide email announcing that a "Snow Parking Day" is in effect. Every effort will be made to notify the campus the day prior, but checking your email in the morning may prevent an unwanted surprise when you arrive on campus.
- The Grounds team will be on campus early (often staying overnight) with a focus on clearing the pedestrian walkways and the parking areas closest to the academic buildings first. Once those parking areas are plowed, they will continue to the outer parking areas.
- Students and employees, regardless of the parking hangtag you purchased (standard or economy), should park in the area that has been plowed. If the lot or area where you typically park has been plowed, you are welcome to, and should, park there. If a lot or area has not been plowed, we ask that you park in an area that has been plowed. During a "Snow Parking Day", vehicles parked in standard permit lots with economy permits will not be ticketed for unassigned lot violations.
- A "Snow Parking Day" does not allow for unauthorized parking. Please be cognizant of the space you park in. A "Snow Parking Day" does not allow for unauthorized parking in spaces that requre a special permit (e.g., ADA spaces, reserved PERKS spaces, etc.), or prohibited parking areas such as emergency and fire lanes. Vehicles will still be subject to ticketing and towing for unauthorized or unsafe parking.
- The residential lots around the townhouses and apartments function differently, all on-campus residents will have 24/7 access to their residential lot and vehicles can use them as required. The university will clear the snow as efficiently and safely as possible in the residential lots.
- Near the end of a "Snow Parking Day," an email will be sent to notify everyone if the next day will or will not be a "Snow Parking Day." It also doesn't hurt to do number 1 before you arrive on campus.
We hope this helps provide safe and accessible parking to all of our university students, employees, and visitors. If you have any questions, please reach out to Parking Operations at parking@uis.edu, at (217) 206-8502, or stop by room 43 in BSB.