June 2021

EDCS Project Manager Clint Cooper lead the project to clean and seal the exterior of Rudder Tower and the Theater Complex. The cleaning and sealing of Rudder Tower and Theater Complex began on January 19, 2021 and completed on March 23, 2021. Clint has managed numerous cleaning and sealing exterior of buildings projects, but this facility was one of the best results and the Contractor (R&R Restoration) performed exceptionally well. This area is a very high pedestrian traffic area, therefore, scheduling the work was a little bit of a challenge but overall the project came off with very little flaws.

Also, coordination with SSC Grounds Maintenance was a must due to all the trees, shrubs, flower beds, irrigation and lawn surrounding the Complex. Overall, Great project with great results!!!

Paul Tisch presents Larry Luza, Sr. with a 45 Year Service Award. Larry received a jacket and a Fossil watch

Grounds Management is always looking for ways to improve the quality of the service we provide at Texas A&M. One way the Turf department has increased the quality of our mowing is through the use of push mowers when mowing on small panels instead of our larger zero-turn mowers. While using these smaller mowers does take more time, the improved quality of cut and aesthetics are worth the extra effort. Additionally the smaller mowers have less of an impact on the turf panel due to their light weight when compared to a larger zero-turn mower.

We use several different types of push mowers to complete our mowing depending on the location, grass variety and desired height of cut. We have 21” battery powered push mowers for general use in small panels. These are very light and quiet and useful when up close to buildings where people work or study. We also have 30” self-propeller mowers that we use when mowing larger panels that we still believe are best maintained with the smaller size mower. Additionally, we have a 21” manual push reel mower that we use on very small panels that we desire to mow at a low height. This mower provides a very high cut quality and allows us to mow as low as 1/2”.

The extra effort in using these mowers adds to the overall beauty of Texas A&M and gives a sense of pride and accomplishment to the Turf crews responsible for their operations.

submitted by Ricky Scher

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our own associates. Allow me to introduce you to Estella Garcia, who worked at our campus at Texas A&M University in the Custodial department. She started working her on November 18, 2019 and she showed much love and dedication to her job and the University.

Estella was a great person, loved her family immensely, loved her co-workers and her customers and she made a huge difference in the atmosphere in the Health Science Center building where she worked.

She was a vibrate person who worked hard every day she came to work. Her supervisor, Mark Bulter described “Stell”, as he called her as a fun loving, happy always in good spirits and she brought a calm and sincere mood to work every day. She came to work even 2 days before she passed. You never knee when she wasn’t feel well.

She came to work every day and never complained about anything she was going through. To me, that made her an exceptional associate. She had a great spirit and was well loved by all that came into contact with her. Mark also called her “surprised package”, looking at her, small petite frame and innocent face, you never would have guessed the overpowering joy she brought to others.

She is truly going to be missed and her presence at the HSC building will be missed for days, months and years to come. Her crew was given time to grieve and remember Estella at work this week and just knowing that she is resting and at peace helps ease the pain. Our prayers will continue to be with her family and to “Stella

” We will love you forever Estella.“

submitted by Madlene Maxwell

Stacy Medina has joined SSC as an HR Intern. She is from Waelder, Texas, a small town with a population of about 1,000 people. College Station was a huge change for Stacy. She graduated in August 2020 with a bachelor's in Human Resource Development and Technology Management. Stacy is currently a graduate student in the College of Education’s Human Resources Development program and expects to graduate in August 2022. During her free time Stacy enjoys painting, reading, crafting, and spending time with her roommates, family, or her dog.  Stacy says “I am excited to be here and look forward to acquiring knowledge about HR during my time here.”