By Jacquie Vargas
Make readies, the process of getting a campus living space ready for the next occupant, happens year round, but in the summer the General Maintenance crew works from May 15 until Aug. 15 to prepare student housing.
The system they use counts each make ready by bed instead of rooms to account for multiple beds per room or apartment. Each of the 6,495 beds managed by General Maintenance is accounted for in its master spreadsheet. However, because of summer camps and seminars, the number of beds that must be turned over can increase. Last year there were 8,900 beds that had to go through the make ready process, but this summer more are expected.
Each day, there are approximately 30 people on the make ready crew, and it takes an average of 75 minutes per bed, translating to about 10,000 man hours toward make readies per summer. The teams go into the room and assess items on their checklist such as paint, appliances, cabinet doors, plumbing, and window blinds. The checklist ensures that all elements of the room are in working order and good condition for the next occupant. After General Maintenance completes a make ready on a bed, custodial crews come in to finish the job.
Craig Whitfield, General Maintenance manager, sets up a live database using Google Sheets, and shares it with General Maintenance supervisors so that they can update completed work on their iPads while out on campus.
In addition, the document is shared with Custodial Services and Housing to enact a collaborative effort between the three entities. Custodial can see in real time which beds have been completed so they knew when they can come in to clean. Housing knows when the beds are ready, and can notify the other groups of the dates that they need to fill the rooms. Minor In-House Construction also assists with make readies by adding a few workers each day to the Maintenance crews.
During the summer, make readies are the top priority. In addition to housing facilities, General Maintenance and Custodial perform make readies on every classroom, which includes assessing all of the tables, chairs, and walls.