January 2020

SSC Grounds HEQ/LCON (Heavy Equipment/Landscape Construction) was given the task of renovating the walking surfaces at the Bonfire Memorial with the stipulation that it MUST be complete by the end of October, in preparation of the 20th anniversary of the Bonfire collapse ceremony November 18.  The project originated from the Bonfire Enhancement Committee, a collaborative effort between Student Affairs and Facilities and Dining Administration.  The goal was to improve accessibility and relieve some of the maintenance struggle the loose aggregate entailed. The end result is a user friendly surface that reduces maintenance and enhances the overall experience of Bonfire Memorial.

The walking surface was a 4” layer of angular, gray/black, Basalt Rock aggregate called “Black Star” placed loose, with stainless steel edging to contain it in areas not bordered by the granite stone of the Memorial.  The original design called for an outside border of larger aggregate, about 16” wide, bordered by stainless steel edging and turf.  The objective was to stay with original design intent of the team at Overland Partners, but to modify the surface to improve mobility and ease maintenance.  One of the most difficult maintenance challenges was keeping the large and small aggregates segregated.  There were also issues of mowing and trimming edges where the turf was only separated by a thin stainless steel barrier.  It became a safety issue with stones being launched by mowers and trimmers.  The aggregate also migrated within the path areas and a washboard effect would develop, requiring the entire path system to be mechanically regraded on a regular basis.

Another major issue was it was not an ADA approved surface, difficult if not impossible, to push a wheelchair or walker through. Obviously, this needed to be addressed to allow access for all users.

The solution to all of these issues was to bind the aggregate together with a product called Klingstone.  This product would preserve the look of the original design, keep the rock in place and create a “hard” surface for improved mobility and reduced maintenance.  Klingstone is applied as a liquid, but hardens in a matter of hours to “glue” the aggregate together.  It initially will have a glossy appearance, but with UV exposure, the surface gloss will wear off and the finish of the original stone will be exposed. The porosity of loose aggregate will be maintained because the void space between the rocks is not filled and the water will be able to move through the surface. 

With the solution agreed upon, the challenge became executing the construction on the schedule that was demanded.  The project was approved in August with a completion date of October 31. Approximately 25,000 square feet of aggregate needed to be removed and replaced.  It was unknown exactly what the condition of the subgrade would be, but it was expected that some repair would be necessary. The existing underground drainage system would need to be tested and repaired, if necessary.  Because we found some seepage issues on the entry plaza granite wall, it was decided that a behind wall drain system would be needed to rectify that issue.  TGC, a local B/CS landscape contractor, was awarded the contract to perform the ground work and drainage renovations.

Electrical junction boxes and portals that control the lighting along History Walk were covered by the original aggregate.  With the incorporation of Klingstone, another access method was going to be required because “raking” was no longer an option.  A design team came up with a removable tray that would allow the aggregate ‘look’ to remain on the surface, but still allow access to the junction boxes.

Over 300 CY of new, graded, aggregate was placed, raked, and rolled, in order to smooth the surface before the Klingstone was applied.  TGC hauled and placed all of the material, and Howell Pathways was responsible for the final grade and Klingstone Application.  LCON, with SSC Grounds, provided some of the man power to roll and finish the grade, along with Howell Pathways.

One of the requirements, and major challenges with the Klingstone application, is that the rock MUST be clean and dry when product is applied.  All rock was pre-washed and dried before it was placed.  It was then raked and rolled, and allowed additional time to dry.  Humid mornings, and any type of dew or precipitation required that the binder application be delayed. If any moisture or dirt is in the rock, it will “foam,” causing an undesirable yellowing and foaming effect.

In spite of the weather and other challenges, the contractors were able to meet their October 31 deadline, and were off site on schedule.  Once all of the granite monument protection measures were removed, SSC Grounds mobilized and re-vamped the surrounding landscape.  New plantings were installed, existing shrubs and trees received needed pruning jobs, and a fresh layer of mulch was applied by the HORT Teams. Maintenance crews mowed, trimmed, and edged everything, and over seeded with winter rye grass.  Everyone pitched in on cleanup and detail work, and the Bonfire Memorial was in tip-top shape for the 20th Anniversary ceremony on the morning of November 18th.

submitted by Mike Teal, PLA ‘96, SSC Grounds Manager, LCON/HEQ

SSC associate Barbara Musgrove, along with Texas A&M representatives, attended the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) annual conference in Spokane Washington, October 27-31. It is the largest stage in North America to exchange effective models, policies, research, collaborations and transformative actions that advance sustainability in higher education and surrounding communities.

The AASHE conference offers students, faculty, administrators, and industry professionals the opportunity to learn new ideas for sustainable practices and make valuable networking connections. Barbara attended classes pertaining to sustainability on campus, sustainability practices and recycling initiatives. This is valuable information to help move SSC forward in the support of Texas A&M’s sustainability objectives.

The Regional VP and the RDO’s met with Max Gerall the Founder and CEO of REACH.  This is an acronym for Respect, Empowerment, Aspiration, Community and Hope.  The vision of this group is to create transformative communities where historically invisible members have the opportunity to realize their full potential.  Their focus has been the Texas A&M University community and this includes numerous SSC and Chartwells associates.  SSC upper management will be determining how we can get involved to support the goals of the REACH organization.

The custodial department is holding a holiday food drive. Please drop off items by December 18th at our main office, Suite 105. Items donated will be divided between the Food Bank Annual Food Drive and a few of our own SSC Associates and their families who have had a hard time this year.

Each year the city of Fort Worth hosts HR Southwest, which is the largest regional education and networking event for HR professionals.   HR Southwest is organized by the Dallas SHRM Chapter and attended by more than 2500 guests, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors. 

The 2019 conference opened with keynote speaker David Horsager, CEO and best-selling author of “The Trust Edge.”  During his time he emphasized that Trust is a fundamental, bottom line issue, and without trust leaders lose teams, salespeople lose sales, and organizations lose reputation, retention of good people, relationships and revenue. But with trust, individuals and organizations enjoy greater creativity, productivity, freedom and results.

In addition to having great speakers Natalie Garcia (HR Coordinator) and Peggy Cruse (HR Manager), enjoyed education sessions they selected to attend based on their current roles and areas of interest. A great time was had on Monday and Tuesday evenings exploring the exhibition booths and with networking with other HR professionals, as well as attending an “80’s” theme dinner.

Since 2016 SSC and Weathermatic have had a ongoing partnership upgrading the irrigation systems on many of the A&M system campuses. Through this partnership an annual service trip has been created offering 6 scholarships to students at various campuses to travel with Living Water International to Central America and help bring clean drinking water to areas with great need.

The 2019 scholarship recipients were Farid Abarca, Cindy Figueroa, and Aneida Valdez of Texas A&M University, Joyce Garza, Marina Garza and Leslie Izaguirre of Texas A&M International University.

As a continuation of the story from our July 21-27 El Salvador trip, we are including a reflection shared by Texas A&M International scholarship recipient SSC Human Resources Manager Peggy Cruse and  Scholarship Recipient Joyce Garcia.

“On July 21st, I, along with 9 others, traveled to El Salvador in hopes of giving a local community access to clean water. I knew that my work there would leave a big impact on the community members, however, I had no idea how much of an impact the community members would have on me. What I experienced and felt was much more than I could have ever anticipated. The emotional impact they left on me is something I will always remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

I highly enjoyed teaching the hygiene classes to the children and the rest of the community members. It was fun doing class activities with people of all ages. I especially loved being able to play games with all of them after the lessons. Now, drilling the well, while not an easy task, was very rewarding. With our assistance, the hard-working men of the organization were able to hit water in the week we were there. The day we hit water, the children started chanting two simple words I will never forget, “¡Agua limpia!, ¡Agua limpia!” This translates to “Clean water! Clean water!” The look of pure excitement and joy in their voices after seeing water spout out of the ground shook my very soul. I was just as excited as they were.

Additionally, I went with the intention of getting to know more about the people and their culture. I wanted to experience the similarities and differences between their culture and my own. All I knew about El Salvador was that the area and the people were highly dangerous. However, I refused to believe that all the people from El Salvador were bad. Going with these expectations, I was not disappointed. Since I can speak Spanish, I was able to communicate and bond with the children and other community members. We were able to talk with one another about our families, interests, goals and dreams, and so much more. What I learned from talking with everyone was that our lives aren’t so different.

Despite living in vastly different economic situations, their way of life was eerily similar to my own. The day I volunteered to repair pumps, two of my groups members and I left to a second location. In this location we met with the mayor of the area. There was a moment where he had asked us if their living conditions was shocking to us since we aren’t used to living that sort of life. To his surprise we all said no. The man who had accompanied us during the repairs told the mayor that despite our different nationalities we are all Latinos, so we know the struggle. We all agreed with him wholeheartedly.

As I have stated before, despite living in the United States, we were all very similar. The way the community members looked after one another, bonded with each other, communicated with one another, and overall cared for each other reminded me of my home life and childhood.

Lastly, I want to say that the last day of our stay was more emotional than I had anticipated. Saying goodbye to all the new friends I had made and all the lives we helped improve was extremely hard. Even though we knew that we may never speak to each other again, we each left a piece of us behind for them to remember us by while simultaneously giving us memories we will never forget. “

CUSTODIAL NEW ASSOCIATES

Blanca Alacantara Iris Baustista Rafael Blue Roytezia Boone Shenika Burns Tamekka Curtis Tricia Darnell Ebelyn Deluna Quetzali DeLuna Zane Ford Francherrica Franklin Bonnie Garcia Esella Garcia Mria Gaytan-Medina Lasharon Green Linda Guyton Trina Harrison Aleida Hernandez Emma Johson Willie Jones Sonya Joshua Cassandra Ledezma Maria Lerma Dara Lucan Felecia Lugo Sergio Placencia Paris Robinson Raquel Sanchez Sanjuana Soto Treleshia Stewart Jodice Stokeling Stephen Summerlin Wendy Velasco Catherine Villapando Zelena Wallace Candice Washburn Cristian Williams

GROUNDS NEW ASSOCIATES

Ryan Coleman Feliciano Conde Jr. Isiah Cruz Antonio Curtis Jesus Estrada August Gant Christian Gutierrez Thomas Konderla Jerbrell Lipscomb Robert Orcutt Victor Pierce III Juan Quiroz Emma Rhodes Matthew Romero Austin Young

MAINTENANCE NEW ASSOCIATES

Ryan Conover Micah Dearing Ryan Hines Jacob Joiner Garrett Mullican Luke Patranella Jacob Young

Custodial

Paula Chappel Alma Moreno Brenda Soto Sinatra Steptoe Clorissa Sweed Patricia Walker

EDCS

Kenny Marek

Grounds

Mark Feathers Alex Lewis III Daniel Martinez

Maintenance

Robert Jones Barry Linden Kevin Robinson Josh Telg