A Day in the Life, Part II

Low 90’s and climbing, high humidity, and it’s not even 8 o’clock yet. Typical Richmond-in-July weather, don’t you think?

That said, as I arrived at Collegiate’s North Mooreland Road campus one recent toasty summer morning, I found that the oppressive conditions hardly fazed several physical plant colleagues whom I encountered as they were beginning their workday.  

Having watched the crew in action for many years, I was hardly surprised.

In the shop area, I encountered Bryan Voltz, a jack-of-all-trades who’s most often found using his experience and expertise to repair or install plumbing fixtures in one of the school’s many buildings. On this day, though, he was preparing a tractor with a large basket attached to the front so that he and Mike Hamby from the grounds staff could remove low-lying branches that had become impediments in the Lower School car pool area.

Other than this assignment, what have you been up to this summer? I asked Bryan, who’s worked at Collegiate for 20 years.

“We’re re-doing the bathrooms in South and North Science,” he said. “South Science is getting new vanities and sinks. We’re also re-doing the bathrooms in Reeves. Starting more of that today.”

Is our crew doing the renovation? I asked.
   
“I’m removing everything,” he replied. “Rhodes and Werner is coming in to set the cabinets. Plumbers will come in behind me to re-pipe.”

“We needed to do something,” he said. “The sinks were basically set up for residential use. These new ones aren’t going anywhere.”
 
And after today? I asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Today, I had no plans to do this (trim branches). The phone rings. I get up and go. 
Contractors are coming at about 11. We have Nunnally Hall being remodeled. I’m going back and forth keeping an eye on things.”

About the time Brian and Mike headed off, Paul Teeples who’s served Collegiate as an electrician for 18 years, arrived on his golf cart laden with supplies.

What’s on your docket for today? I inquired.

“I’m converting fluorescent fixtures to LED fixtures up in Flippen (Hall),” Paul said. “I’m starting on Pitt (Hall) very soon.”

How many fixtures do you have to convert? I asked.

“We bought 1,500 light bulbs,” he replied. “There’re three lamps to a fixture.”

If my math is correct, I said, that’s 500 light fixtures. Doesn’t that get pretty old?

“I’ve got air pods,” he said, “so I can listen to podcasts and music.”

Such as? I asked.

“This American Life, 99% Invisible, and punk rock,” he responded. “The early punk stuff. Not the hard core.”

Anything else on the list for today? I asked.
    
“Look for ballasts that need replacing or bulbs that are out,” he said. “That requires passing through all the buildings now and again to make sure all the lights are working.”

As transportation supervisor for the past year, Dede Bolden oversees two full-time employees and upwards of 10 part-timers, most of whom serve as bus drivers. Together, they’re responsible for Collegiate’s fleet of eight buses, 11 minibuses, and eight trucks of some description.

You might think that she and her team would have plenty of down time during the summer with no athletic events or practices on the schedule, but, no, that’s not the case. Why? 

“Summer Quest,” said Dede, who worked in the Henrico County transportation department for 22 years before joining the Collegiate team in 2019. “They have a lot of trips going out. They have baseball. They have soccer. They have fishing camp. We transport students where they need to go, and we transport them back to campus. A lot of the time, they’re just going out to (the) Robins (Campus). Today, we have Virginia Outside. They’re in Fredericksburg fishing.”

Fishing on the Rappahannock River isn’t a bad way to spend a hot summer day, I commented.

“No, it’s not,” she responded. “They go out every day, Monday through Friday, from 9 to 5. They’ve been to the James River. They’ve also been to Petersburg fishing on the Appomattox River.”

What other responsibilities do you have during the summer? I asked.

“We’re taking vehicles for state inspection and oil changes,” she said. “Buses go mainly to Sonny Merryman (Inc.) in Ashland. The minibuses go right over to Preston’s Auto (at Patterson Avenue and Starling Drive). We have a lot of June and July inspections, which is a good thing. Summer is a good time to get that done.”

A lot of these vehicles go out of town once school is back in session, I offered. You don’t want any surprises when you’re on the road. Right? 

“No, you don’t,” she replied. “We make sure that part of transportation is done, and we’re checking tires and making sure enough gas and oil is in each vehicle on a regular basis.”
  
Is that pressure, or do you embrace the challenge of making sure all those vehicles operate smoothly and efficiently?

“I know my expectations when I get here in the morning,” she said. “I’d rather have a busy day than sitting around doing nothing.”

Anything else? I asked.
      
“I love my job,” she replied with a smile.
    ~Weldon Bradshaw