May 2021

First let me start by saying that being a reletively new employee in the position of Irrigation Manager for SSC Services for Education at Texas A&M University that the system quite simply is a Behemoth. We are talking about  approximately 293 controllers, 8,700 zone valves spanning some 5,200 acres plus/minus of turf, and another 43 acres of ornamantal planting beds for main campus alone. In addition to these totals we also manage the 2,000 acre Rellis campus home to another 13 controllers,and approximately 400 zone valves and growing. That being the case it is paramount that each and every component of the system be installed exactly as the irrigation designer and maintenance staff intends with materials specified to the letter. This will insure that every irrigation system installed has identical components throughout. I like to refer to this as system uniformity.

This uniformity can only be achieved through detailed design guidelines and specifiactions. Because there is a miriad of extreamly different yet the same irrigation components in the market today i.e. spray heads,rotary heads, valves, controllers etc., you could inherit irrigation systems that function and  perfrom completely different from one new installation to the next. This can easily happen because installers and designers alike tend to use materials that they are familiar with, or they happen to like for whatever reason such as cost, ease of installation,performance,or simply what was in stock at that time. I say all of this to let it be known that without providing very detailed component specific information, you literally don’t know what you will inherit in the form of an irrigation system.

In an effort to achieve that end goal of system uniformity we at SSC Services For Education have developed a set of Design Guidelines and Specifications that leave no aspect of a new installation to the discretition of the installing contractor. Every component is specified down to the manufacturer, trade name, identificatiuon number, size, pressure rating, and in some cases even the color.

In conclusion, as the end user you can never be too specific when developing irrigation specifications. Designers make it clear to everyone exactly what components are to be utilized in the installation of new irrigation systems. Most installers will apppreciate clear directions and knowing up front the designers intentions without having to guess what components are preferred, and how to proceed with the installation. Having detailed specifications and design guidelines will help facilitate a win win for all parties involved.

submitted by  Darrell Bunch

EDCS has been leading the renovation of the Veteran Resource and Support Center since January with an anticipated completion date of June 2021.

Because of the dedication and commitment to this project, the leaders of the Student Veteran Association held a appreciation ceremony for SSC and three associates working on the project. A commemorative plaque was presented to SSC and Superintendent 2 Wade Duke, Project Manager 2 Steve Gochenour, and Senior Program Manager Mike Garon received challenge coins as a token of the universities appreciation for their work.

Kenneth Saladiner forty years of service, Ricardo Rodarte with 20 years, and Sam Perry also completed 20 years

Julia Chapman receives Service Award from the Regional Director of Operations - Maintenance Paul Tisch for Thirty years.

William Rose receives Service Award for Fifteen years from the Regional Director of Operations - Maintenance Paul Tisch.

watch for more maintenance service awards to follow

Our management team, consisting of our RDO, Ted Dawson and Unit Directors, Sheila Robinson and Lou Jacques (pictured), Mary Green, AJ Sims, Madlene Maxwell and Chris Rouff (not pictured) did a special recognition and made a fuss over our amazing Administrative Professional Support Staff, Ruth Alvarez, Erica Cruz, Maria Alma Villarreal and Ashley Weber to show appreciation to them for all of the work they do in their supportive roles and holding our department together.

These fine professional ladies wear many different hats and they do a lot of multitasking to support the entire Custodial department. They make sure we have everything we need to take care of our campus and community customers as well taking care of us on a daily basis. They know how to prioritize their workloads, this includes picking up doughnuts or breakfast and making coffee, running errands, decorating our offices for holidays, birthdays and all other events we can think of to celebrate. Our team of professionals are very innovative and creative. No one does it like they do. They are the back bone and the glue who will remind us if we forget about any tasks we are supposed to do. They make things happen and get things done in a very quiet and professional manner despite sometimes having a lot of interruptions. They don’t mind stopping what they are doing to help us or anyone that walks in our office or calls on the phones. These ladies are AWESOME. They make us the successful team we are and we could not do it without them.  “Thanks For All You Do Ladies. We Really Appreciate You”

S - is for Service - They consistently give great service with a smile

                           E - is for the Excellent work habits that they exhibit 

                           R -  is for the Respect they consistently show to all 

                           V - is for Valid – just well grounded, strong, efficient, acceptable, correct and proper

                           I -  is for Intelligent – All are highly skilled and intelligent

                           C - is for Courage to face all challenges the day might bring

                           E - is for Easy as 123 – Easy does it, easy to approach and easy to reach

Please join us in congratulating our HR intern Alondra Rosas on her graduation in May from the HRD program.  We have a new intern starting the 17th, Stacy Medina.  She is a HRD graduate student.