While it may be a dry heat, it still takes some adjustments to make sure work gets done around campus in the summer.
For those at CORE Construction, who are working on Árbol de la Vida Residence Hall and Likins Hall, adjusting to the warm weather is old hat.
“”It’s hot but it’s not that big a deal,”” said Tim Roley, project manager at CORE Construction.
To cope with the weather, Roley said, workers scale back their hours, and a typical construction worker in the summer will kick off the day at 4 a.m. and wrap up at 1 p.m.
The only thing they can’t do during the day, Roley said, is pour concrete. To adjust, they pour it at night.
Facilities Management Director Chris Kopach said many of his employees have to deal with extreme heat, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning mechanics that work on the roofs.
To stay functional and safe in the heat, Kopach said it’s important to make sure employees stay hydrated and informs employees about summer safety issues such as sun protection and hydration.
Several capital improvement projects are taking place at the UA while students are away. In addition to the ongoing construction of the two new residence halls, crews are performing maintenance on Coronado Residence Hall, repaving Tyndall Avenue and beginning construction on a new scoreboard for Arizona Stadium.
Sixth Street will be closed to through traffic because of construction on the new scoreboard for two weekends that have yet to be determined, according to a press release from Planning, Design and Construction.
The closure is due to the delivery and installation of 55-foot tall steel pipe columns that will support the scoreboard. It will require two large cranes to place the columns and the closure is due to the size of both the cranes and the columns.
Motorists will be detoured to Speedway or Broadway boulevards while those wishing to visit the UA or Sixth Street businesses will be directed through campus around the construction, according to the press release.
But employees aren’t the only living things fighting against the elements.
The UA landscape can’t just grab a bottle of water to stay hydrated. Kopach said Facilities Management regularly checks to make sure the campus’ computerized irrigation system is working properly because of the lack of rain and extreme heat.
Kopach said the facilities staff is just now getting an idea of which vegetation didn’t survive the freeze in February that caused flooding in buildings around campus.
While the monsoon will relieve vegetation, it brings with it its own challenges.
According to Kopach, several buildings are prone to flooding so they have a monsoon flood response team on call.
Right now Kopach said there are about 25 locations on campus where Facilities Management is checking to make sure the drainage areas are debris free in order to prevent those areas from getting clogged and then flooding.
“”Our facilities staff work really hard in these extreme temperatures,”” Kopach said. “”We’re trying to be real proactive to prevent any damage.””
