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Photos of this event - click here
It was a small but determined group that invaded the Grandview Café on Flag Day to “kick around” such issues as energy management, cafeteria operations and equipment, indoor and outdoor bird problems, and responsibility for emergency building evacuations.
This was the first FMs First Roundtable since the February roundtable at the Ohio Design and Construction Expo at the Greater Columbus Convention Center Feb. 1, and attendance was sparse. It was a beautiful late spring evening, and recreational activities such as golf, boating, swimming, and fishing may have had a more urgent calling.
Nevertheless, Roundtable Co-chairs Barry Widder and Mariah Liggett ushered the group to the upstairs patio/deck at the café, and kept things moving for more than two hours in search of information for problems and concerns. In keeping with Flag Day, Liggett had handouts for the group on how to properly display and care for the U.S. flag.
The group discussed energy conservation programs and the need to identify local resources for auditing a company’s utility usage and designing a program for energy monitoring. This topic, along with other energy saving ideas, will be explored at future roundtables
One of the most perplexing issues appeared to be bird control, and what could be done to combat the growing problem of Canada geese. While several suggestions were offered—noise makers, dogs, artificial owls--the safest suggestion was to contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for help in combating a particular problem.
While many companies, especially those with ponds, are combating geese, it was somewhat ironic that an Associated Press article published the same day on Yahoo related that Lake Tahoe in California is becoming polluted by our Canadian “guests.”
The article stated that wildlife officials there believe parts of the lake are covered by as much as two inches of goose feces. The article said, “A 10-pound goose can produce four pounds of nitrate- and phosphate-rich feces every day that it waddles across the beaches, lawns and golf courses at Lake Tahoe.”
Mark Shy, president, Renovators Inc., and a roundtable guest, suggested subscribing to Traditional Building Magazine as a good resource for facility managers. The bi-monthly magazine also has a Web site—www.traditional-building.com—that would be a good resource for new facility products, building problem issue reviews, and many other interesting articles and services. The magazine is not a "how-to" publication; it is a "where-to-find-it" publication.
Donna Byrom expressed her concern about employee and/or department responsibility in accounting for co-workers during an emergency building evacuation. She said her company’s evacuation document identifies department managers as having to account for employees once everyone is outside the building, and not all managers are happy about this responsibility.
Others acknowledged similar plans and responsibilities as well as employee lists and assembly areas for various groups to help managers or designated safety people to account quickly for those working that day. Members of the group also related that their buildings are “swept” by safety people and/or fire departments to make certain no one is left behind.