By: Robert Barrington, Ad Editor
From controlling pests, minimizing power outages, and finding solutions for the shortage of parking spaces, Plant Operations is here to help. Jose Caban, Director of Plant Operations, is constantly planning and implementing solutions to everyday problems on the Saint Leo campus. Caban and his staff are constantly maintaining and improving operations in order to ensure that students on campus are safe and comfortable. Even though large-scale construction is occurring, Caban’s staff continues to keep the Saint Leo campus clean and beautiful.
Back in August 2011, there was an infestation of crazy ants that were seen in huge numbers throughout campus and even in the dorms. Crazy ant colonies had more than one queen and would quickly multiply. Caban and his staff quickly took action, and with the help of Terminix Pest Control, the plan was to take control at Marmion/Snyder and slowly push the ants off-campus. By October 2011, the ant infestation problem was gone.
Last semester, due to a power outage, there was a glitch in the system that turned off the cooling systems to parts of campus. Saint Leo has generators that supply emergency power within 45 seconds of a power outage, but the cooling system did not turn back on, and some dorms and classrooms had to endure extended periods without air conditioning. Plant Operations contacted Tampa Bay Trane and they implemented a new system to avoid having air conditioning problems that last for extended periods of time.
Lack of parking spaces appears to be one of the biggest complaints from students, and some students are late to class because they have to wait over 20 minutes to find a parking space. Caban is aware of the problem and has some short-term solutions planned while we wait for the 740 space parking garage to be built under the new soccer field. Just east of the softball parking lot, Plant Operations has opened up 62 overflow parking spaces on the grass and marked the area with signs. There are many construction workers on the Saint Leo campus, but they are not taking up any student parking spaces, and have been assigned parking spaces off of Highway 52.
With the new residence halls, soccer field, and parking lot, there is a lot of construction going on. Dirt and dust are kept to a minimum and are constantly being cleaned up. “There are very few people who can maintain construction at this level and keep the campus looking as nice as it is,” said Caban, referring to his staff. Saint Leo is a beautiful university, and Plant Operations keep the grass green all year long while maintaining a finely manicured and clean campus.
