On January 6^th, 2017, three recreation employees exemplified quick thinking and safety in action, when they swiftly cleared the pool and change rooms after a chemical incident occurred in one of pool pump rooms.

Peter Reed, an Environmental, Health and Safety Consultant with MRU awarded Elene Otte, Katlyn McKenna, and Rebecca Deobald with Safety Recognitions.

At Mount Royal University we believe everyone gets to go home safe and we would like to recognize these employees for reinforcing our safety culture.

For more information on Environmental Health and Safety, please check out our website -https://www.mtroyal.ca/FacilitiesManagement/EnvironmentalHealthSafety/index.htm

MRU at the Leading Edge of Disinfecting Technology!

Health and wellness are top priorities at Mount Royal University!

Finding the most effective measure to safeguard our campus is an ongoing job for the Environmental Services team (formally Custodial). The ByoPlanet E-mist system delivers an electrostatically charged mist that reaches every nook and cranny and sticks to surfaces for the most effective disinfection possible. This new system is ideal for areas with several touch surfaces and hard to reach places like the Fitness Center.

Environmental Services is currently using the new E-mist technology to ensure large exam areas are thoroughly disinfected!

Check out the YouTube video below to learn more about the science behind E-mist.

Working with Severe Weather

A day in the life of a Facilities Management team member…

The rain was coming down hard and lighting had struck – it was a perfect storm that passed through Calgary on Tuesday June 28, 2016 at approximately 4:00pm. Severe weather is one of the many considerations that the Facilities Management team manages.

Lightning hit two 15 year old poplar trees on the Mount Royal Campus. The bark was stripped from the trees and as a result, the Grounds crew had them removed and are now working towards getting them replaced. The torrential rain pour caused 2 leaks in B-Wing where a current roofing project is taking place and a third leak above The Hub in Wykham House.

Did you know: The Mount Royal campus has 900,000 square feet of roofing!

Quick thinking and years of experience led Director of Engineering Services (Facilities Management), Kim McKellar, to work with the roofing contractor to rapidly pump the water from the B-Wing and use a piece of wood cleverly to stop the leak above The Hub.

What’s Next?

A ‘severe weather’ procedure has since been put in place for Security to have contractor information on hand should a similar situation happen during off hours. The Building Operations (Facilities Management) team is currently working on permanent fixes to effected areas off the roof.

When severe weather hits Calgary, the Facilities Management team has all hands on deck to minimize any disruption to the campus.

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Recycling Old Mattresses and Soft Seating from Residence

David Sakauye and Residence have begun a recycling program with Re-Matt Inc. to recycle old mattresses and soft seating from Residence. Re-Matt Inc. has blogged about it and you can check it out by clicking the link below:

http://www.re-matt.com/blog/2015/10/30/re-matt-mru-new-mattress-recycling-partnership

David has also taken a tour of the plant/warehouse to see the process for himself. This is a great initiative!!!

Vandalism on MRU Grounds

We’ve been busy planting trees this fall to replace those destroyed in last September’s freak snowstorm. On the weekend someone took it upon themselves to destroy three of those new trees.

The Playing Fields Are Looking Great

It’s always nice to get positive feedback and the Physical Resources Grounds crew were recognized for the condition of the sports fields. Way to go folks!!!

MRU Grass Watering Protocols

This is the email message sent to someone questioning our watering practices. If one person has questions I am sure that more do as well.

“Thank you for your concern about our irrigation schedule, but I would like to offer you some explanation.

I do agree with you that through the day is the incorrect time to irrigate but unfortunately we are having issues with our pump-house which has reduced our water flow and thus increased our irrigation schedule dramatically, thus day watering. In areas we have deem unnecessary to irrigate we have done so, but we have planted new tree this year and we do want to water them frequently. Rain that comes in large amounts quickly can not be counted on to water our turf and plant material as most of it runs off into storm drains or low areas, thus we do not rely on thunderstorm rain as a viable water source for our property.

As part of a healthy turf and plant health we follow the City of Calgary recommendations of “one inch of water per week” and do adhere to any water restrictions instituted by the city of Calgary. We also use smart irrigation that takes into account rain, temperature, solar radiation and evapotranspiration.

We understand that there is a perception of wrong doing, so thank you for bring your concern forward so we can explain our procedures”

Pigeon Slides? What?!?!

No they are not what you think. Pigeons can find their own ways to have fun.

Our pigeon slides are a humane way to make a particular space so uncomfortable that pigeons will choose to roost somewhere else. When the relocate themselves the mess they create moves with them. So Physical Resources and Business and Retail Services collaborated to install a lot of pigeon slides in the Parkade to get the birds to select somewhere else to live. So far it appears to be a great success and neither man nor bird was hurt in the process!

Irrigation Systems

Mount Royal University sites on a 118 acre plot of land. Much of the space is taken up by buildings and parking lots but we have a lot of green space to care for too. It’s easy to look at the grass, trees, flowers, and plants and forget that there is an expensive underground infrastructure keeping everything healthy!