Interview with UNCC Facilities Management

Facilities Management

Our team had the opportunity to speak with Joey Cochran from UNCC Facilities Management (FM). FM takes care of operations, environmental services, and recycling at UNCC, they are the guys who take care of campus!

Things They Do:

• Maintenance

• Keys

• Landscaping

• Cleaning

• Recycling

• Waste Management

• Dispense de-icing materials

FM is essential in keeping campus safe from winter weather. They stock up on de-icing materials and track the weather to always be prepared when icy conditions occur. We met with Mr. Cochran at the Student Union bridge, where he brought us some gifts.

Interview

What is the length of the Student Union (SU) bridge?

• The bridge is longer than a football field (100+ yards)

What materials does FM use to de-ice the SU bridge?

• Cryotech: The de-icing material FM uses

• Acetates are recommended instead of salt solutions, are less caustic, and should be granulated

• In addition to Cryotech, FM uses granite fines and coarse sand for traction on the bridge for traction

• Volume: 4 to 5 bags of Cryotech product, 50 to 60 lbs per bag for one use at the SU bridge

• Material drills down and fractures the ice, applying it early can prevent SU bridge from freezing over

How long does it take to de-ice the SU bridge? What do you have to consider when applying materials?

• One application typically takes 15 to 20 minutes

• Might have to put Cryotech more than once

• Cables and chains on the salt spreader tires for traction

• We should anticipate icing the beginning of the bridge as well due to slope and shade

• Foot traffic causes snow to pack, which may need reapplication

• They use motorized brushes for snow cleanup

When does FM decide that they need to apply de-icing materials? What areas are a priority to be de-iced first?

• We are overdue for an ice storm (hasn't been an ice storm for a while)

• Typically no application for preemptive measure unless there is a confirmed forecast

• Justification for application determined within hours of forecast or weather (FM stays up late)

• Union Bridge is a priority for de-icing because its a path to the food area

• FM constantly monitors multiple weather stations to be able to predict when winter weather is coming

Takeaways

Mr. Cochran gave us a bag of Cyrotech and sand, both materials that FM uses when it is icy. We plan on testing Icebreaker with these materials, and thanks to Mr. Cochran, we have specifications for our robot. Icebreaker needs to be able to traverse an icy path because FM only reacts to weather conditions. Additionally, we found out that our time to de-ice the SU bridge is 20 minutes if we want to have an efficient robot.