Tenant talk [Vol. 6, no. 4 (Fall 2001)]

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A Newsletter of the Georgia Building Authority Helen Scholes, Executive Director Volume 6, No. 4 Fall Issue

GBA TIGHTENS ACCESS
/Jy Heather Hedrick

Shatee Wilson (left) and Rob Saunders (right) are bo th Wackenh ut Security Offi cers, working in the courtyard between the AgTiculture and G BA buildings.
T he events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 changed the lives of people all over the United States. Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in N ew York C ity and on the Pentagon in Washington, D. C. made citizens feel vulnerable in the ir workplace.
Workers in Atlanta, G eorgia are no exception . The G eorgia Building Authority (G BA) , which handles the daily operation of over 50 buildings housing thousands of state government employees in the metro Atlanta area , sprang into action following the attacks.
CLOSURE OF UNDERGROUND PARKING
On the morning of September 11,

G BA severely restricted access to all underground parking situated beneath buildings housing state employees. Thi s act ion allowed only those with a properly programmed card to ga in entry. G BA Executive Director Helen Scholes then quickly formulated a team of individuals to organize and plan a methodica l approach to respond to America 's new threat.
GBA TEAMS WITH STATE PARTNERS
GBA began by teaming with the G eorgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), headed by Director Gary McC onnell. GBA positioned a staff member at the GEMA Central Operations Center to provide information about GBA facilities. GEMA put GBA in touch with a group of extensively trained security experts, to evaluate risks and potential dangers in GBA facilities.
This group of highly trained experts is currently performing a comprehensive risk assessment of all GBA properties , one building at a time. In the meantime, GBA is implementing the experts' specific recommendations to improve control over the entrances and ex its to its facilities.
GBA also teamed with the Georgia Merit System (GMS), the Department of Public Safety Capitol Police Division (DPS), and the State Fire Marshal to eva luate risks and develop mitigation st r a teg ies .

INCREASED PROPERTY RESOURCE OFFICER PRESENCE
Sh ortly after September 11, G BA contracted with the Wackenhut Corporation, a private security firm based in Atlanta, to employ an additional 36 individuals at G BA buildings. While this number change fro m day to day, GBA has increa ed the pre ence of Property Resource O fficers around Capitol Hill. Many locatio ns that once had no manned post are now staffed with an officer during regular business hours. Fo r exa mple, most pedestrian footbridge , courtyards, parking decks, underground parking and main entrances to GBA facilities are now staffed with Property Resource Officers during normal working hours. GBA is currently seeking to employ several Property Resource Officers by advertising on the age ncy web site and contacting airline employees who were affected in recent layoffs.
VALIDATION OF THE CARDKEY SYSTEM
Over time, many employees who were issued a card have left state employment and no t returned their card. Many have been deactivated, but in some cases GBA was never notified that the employee was gone. Still other cards have been handed down to replacement employees but are still carried in the GBA database under the name of the original owner.
- continued on /x1ge 2

GBA TIGHTENS ACCESS
continued from page I

Pro/Jerry Resource Officer Vicky Jackson verrifys rha r Joan Simmons, Capitol Tour Manager, is carrying her ID upon entering the Twin Towers building.
GBA is producing a comprehensive report for each agency head of all the individuals from his or her agency who h ave been issued a card , including each person's access locations. GBA is requesting that each agency review employees' access locations and times and then send back the list, marking out all individuals who are no longer employed. This will ensure that GBA allows employees to have access to the buildings that they need to perform their jobs, without granting excess access.
ID AND CARD ENFORCEMENT
GBA has begun to strictly enforce rules regarding identification badges and card entrances to buildings and parking lots. All state employees are asked to wear the ir GBA issued ID badges visibly at all times when on state property. Officers station ed at the entrances to buildings are asking to see a state ID badge from everyone who enters.
G BA is also enhancing the use of the card doors to its facilities. Employees are asked not to tape or prop open any doors and GBA is insisting that all employees use their prog rammed card to enter a locked door.
TESTING OF CALL SYSTEMS
G BA has recently completed a comprehensive test of all emergency blue light panic buttons located thro ughout GBA parking fac ilities. These panic buttons, which are located

underneath flashing blue lights in parking lots, are connected directly to the G BA VCR roo m, which is manned 24-hours a day. VC R operators watch telev ision screens show ing hundreds of locations all over Capi tol Hill and the surrounding areas. When operators receive an incoming panic button call, they immediately contact the Capitol Police Division (DPS ), which will dispatch an officer to the location .
The recent test of panic buttons identified a few h ardware problems, which are being repaired immediately.
EXTERIOR DOOR EVALUATION
Contracted security experts are working with GBA staff to evaluate all exterior doors to GBA fac ilities to determine which ones need added card and emergency egress mechanisms. The team is gathering information on the traffic flow for each door, as well as additional signage and emergency exit n eeds.
Th e GBA Facilities Support Team pours
Iconcrete at the 244 Washington parking garage w create a swrdier entrance .
UNDERGROUND PARKING MODIFICATIONS
Upon recommendations from DPS, GBA instituted new policies involving many of its underground parking lots located underneath GBA buildings housing state employees. Specifically, one such area is the large parking lot located under the Judicial, 244 & 254 Washington, 270 Washington , 47 Trinity and Department of

Transportation buildings. This parking lot h as 5 roll-up door ex its, opening on to many different streets. The parking lots all merge underneath the buildings. Due to potential risks unde rneath these buildings, GBA has <lec ided to alter the operational h ours of these underground parking roll-up doors.
DOT roll-up door on C apitol Avenue: This door is permanently closed, but operable 24-hours a day with a card .
DOT roll-up door on C apitol Place: This door is primarily used as a loading zone, and will now be permanently closed. This area can still be used as a loading zone, but tenants must call 404-656- 7822 to request a Property Resource Officer to open this door manually.
270 Washington Street roll-up door (Trinity Washington Bldg.): This door will open at 6:00 a.m. for morning traffic, and close again at 9:00 a.m. It will reopen at 3:00 p.m. for afternoon traffic, and close at 6:00 p.m. This door also has a card mechanism fo r tenants who wish to use the entrance outside of these h o urs.
47 Trinity Street roll-up door (Health Bldg. ): This door will open at 6: 00 a.m. fo r morning traffic , and close aga in at 9:00 a.m. It will reopen at 3:00 p.m. for afternoon traffic , and close at 6:00 p.m. There is no card mechanism at this door, so if tenants wish to ex it during nonoperational hours, they must use another exit.
244 Washington Street roll-up door: This door will open at 6:00 a. m. for morning traffic and will remain open all day until 6:00 p.m. This door also has a card mechanism fo r tenants who wish to use the entra nce outside of these hours.

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Tenant Tai~

GBA TIGHTENS ACCESS
continued from /xige I

Dan Duelcgan fil ls a fu nnel wi th concrete ac the 244 Washingron parking garage ro create a sturdier entrance.
GBA recently spent thousands of dollars JO replace the single roll-up door at 244
Washington Street with a dual access door, allowing traffic to enter and ex it at the same time. A guard station was also

added at this location, allowing a Property Resource Officer to be stationed here 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
LOADING DOCK MODIFICATIONS
Loading docks were q uickl y identified as an area in wh ich GBA needed to increase security procedures. A letter was drafted and handed out to couriers on all GBA loading docks outlining several new policies.
All couriers must carry some type of company provided identification card or badge, preferably with a photo ID of the driver and signed by a company executive ;
All couriers must prov ide signage stating the company name on the outside of the delivery vehicle;
Couriers must carry a va lid Georgia dri vers l.i.cense that will be recorded at the time of entry into the GBA facili ty.

GBA also identified that the loading docks at the James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Building were too access ible. To provide a higher level of control, the east loading dock was closed, leaving the west entrance open to couriers and state employees fo r unloading materials.
GBA requests that all state employees unloading materials at any loading .dock ask a co-worker to meet their car at th e loading dock area, to quickly unload the boxes and then remove the car. N o vehicles are allowed on loading docks fo r more than 15 minutes, and no personal parking is ava ilable in any loading dock a re a .
GBA and its partners will continueto reevaluate current practices on Capitol Hill in hopes to create a secure and efficient environment fo r tenants. Tenants are welcome to submit suggestions or concerns to heather.hedrick@gw.gba.state.ga. us.

CHCEC CELEBRATES FALL SEASON
by Heather Hedrick

Students from the GBA Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center (C HC EC ) celebrated their fifth annual Fall Festival Parade on Halloween day, October 3 1, 200 l. Dressed as clowns, wild animals, action figures, cartoon characters and a southern belle, the students marched from the day care center to the Twin Towers building, the Cap itol build ing, # l MLK building and finally back to the center again.

After rece iving candy from state employees in the Twin Towers building, the students congregated fo r ice cream in the ro tunda of the Capitol, where they were met by G overnor Roy Barnes and First Lady Marie Barnes.
The Governor and First Lady offered each parade -goer some cand y, and then read the students a story, t itled Franklin's Hallo ween , by Paulette Bourgeois.

"This is the fun part of our jobs," explained Helen Scholes , G BA Executive Director, as she explained the event to Tom C rawfo rd , of Cap itol Impact, who was standing by to witness the special event.

Georgia's First Lady, Marie Barnes, offers candy ro coswmed scudencs ar the Fall Festi val.
Tenant Tai~

The Governor poses wich a fireman and a ninja from G BA's C HCEC.

GBA Exec. Dir. Helen Scholes shows off a sourhern belle in fronr of che Twin Towers Building.

Page 3

CAPITOL POLICE
TRANSFERRED TO DPS
by Heather Hedrick

improves coord ination and efficiency of the law enforcement serv ices provided by the State of Georgia to its citizens."

Captain Les Robinson and Sergeant Erwin Smith (Left to Right) are both members of the Ca/Jitol Police force, which is now o/Jerated under the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
T he Georgia Building Authority (GBA) board members recently voted unanimously to approve the transfer of the GBA Capitol Police force to the Department of Public Safety (OPS ). Effective September 1, 2001, G BA transferred more than 80 pos itions, more than 50 employees, computers, vehicles, equipment and inventory to the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), which is now overseeing the police force, located on Capitol Hill.
The transfer was in compliance with an executive order issued by.Governor Roy Barnes in July of 2000. The Governor's executive order called fo r the elimination of duplicative services in state government and the consolidation of law enforcement under the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Governor Barnes wrote, "The statew ide delivery of law enfo rcement serv ices shou ld be man aged in a manner that eliminates duplication of effort and

The statewide delivery of law enforcement services should be managed in a manner that eliminates duplication of effort and improves coordination and efficiency of the law enforcement services provided by the State of
Georgia to its citizens.
- Governor Barnes
Capitol Hill's emergency phone number, 404-656-3281, which was historically answered by the G BA Communications Center, is now programmed to ring at the Georgia State Patrol Capitol Police headquarters. GSP Capitol Police officers will respond to all law enforcement emergency calls in GBA facilities, and forward all non-law enforcement calls directly to the appropriate department at GBA.
The new Capitol Police headquarters is located in the same faci lity as before, at 214 Capitol Avenue. This building is directly across from the State Capitol building, inside the # l Parking Lot.

As a part of the transfer of law enfo rcement services, GSP and GBA agreed to sh are the responsibilities of controlling the door entry access to the GBA fac ilities on Capitol Hi ll. The Georgia State Patrol will place officers at the entrances to the State Capitol Building, the Judicial Building, the Legislative O ffice Building, 244 Washington Street, 254 Washington Street and 47 Trinity Avenue. GBA will continue to place Property Resource O fficers at the entrances to the remainder of the state fac ilities operated by GBA.
The Capitol Police force will continue to patrol the Capitol Hill area and respond to all law enfo rcement emergencies. The police force will also work closely with the Atlanta Police Department (APO) and other local jurisd ictions to provide emergency response services to GBA facilities on and off Capitol Hill.
The Capitol Police fo rce was started when the General Assembly amended Georgia Code 50-9-9 in 1985 to provide security guards under the supervision of GBA. In 1998, GBA renamed the police force the Cap itol Police Division. In September of 2001 GBA transferred the force to the Department of Public Safety.

Want to be added to the Tenant Talk & GBA News mailing list? Please send an email to Heather Hedrick. Editor, at heather.hedrick@gw.gba.state.ga.us with your name and mailing address, and you will receive the next issue!

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Tenant Talk

PARKING, CARDKEY & ID OFFICES RELOCATE
by Heather Hedrick

T he Georgia Building Authority (G BA ) Parking, Cardkey and ID badge offices have relocated together to fonn a "one-stop-shop" fo r new employees on Capitol Hill.
The offices can now be found in Room 146 of the #7 MLK Building, which is in the
courtyard adj acent to the Department of Agriculture Building, just north of the State Capitol on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. In this new location, tenan ts can set up their parking payroll deduction, sign up for a vanpool or carpool, have their photograph taken for their identification badge and pick up their cardkey all in one central location. Soon G BA will move the interior and exterior door key operation to the same location.
"We really think it's better for the agency employees this way, because we can take care of all their needs at once," said Scott WalkeTG BA Parking Manager.

All phone numbers and fax numbers fo r the Parking and Cardkey & Identification Offices will remain the same. The new
office is open from 7:30 a. m. until 4:30 p.m.
The old parking office location, directly in front of the G BA main office, has been converted into a private office, and the former cardkey and identification office has been leased to the Department of Public Safety (DPS ) for the operation of the Capitol Police Division .
Card & ID Information
Cardkey Ph: 404-656-4088
ID Badge Ph: 404-656-9172
Fax: 404-651-7518

IScott Wa lker, Parking Office Manager, assisted in the relocation of the GBA parking offi ce.

HOW TO OBTAIN A CARD OR ID BADGE:

Petra Anderson works in the new Cardkey & ID Office in Room 146 of the #7 M LK Building.

Identify the cardkey & ID badge coordinator for your agency.
Determine the facilities and the times you will need access and discuss these with your coordinator. Unless you are working after nom1al hours or on weekends, a cardkey may not be necessary as all facilities have a means of egress during normal working hours. Your coordinator will guide you in this matter and make the decision as to whether a cardkey is necessary for you to perform your job.
Your coordinator will fax a form to the G BA Cardkey & ID Office at (f):
404-651 -7518.
48 hours after the form is faxed to the Cardkey & ID Office, you can stop by Room 146 of the #7 Martin Luther
King, Jr. Building (adjacent to the

G eorgia Department of Agriculture) to pick up your cardkey and have your photo taken for your ID badge.
If you are simply updating your cardkey to have accessibility to additional doors, you do not have to visit the cardkey office. Once your coordinator has faxed the fom1, your cardkey will be reprogrammed within 48 hours.
Please remember that all cardkeys must be returned to GBA through the cardkey coordinator when a state employee leaves his or.her position or transfers to another agency.
Agencies requiring !D's for personnel outside of Atlanta may provide digital photos through their agency coordinator and eliminate the need for the employee to travel to A tlanta.

Tenant Talk

Page S

NEW WORK ORDER PHONE NUMBER: 463 ..HELP
by Heather H edrick

T he Georgia Building A uthority (GBA) Work Control Center would like to announce a new work order telephone number. In an effort to increase efficiency, GBA has consolidated the three separate maintenance team work order numbers into one new number: 404-463-HELP.

According to Cecilia Satterfield, GBA Work Control Center Manager, the new work order number is the best way to report routine maintenance requests that are time sensitive, such as plumbing problems or power outages. Work Control Center operators man the phones from 7:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

workorde r.request@gw.gba.state.ga .us, fax to 404-463-0227, or in a cert ified letter. If you need to know the name and contact information for yo ur agency's work order coordinator, please call the work control center at 404-463 -HELP (4357) .

The new work order number, which became effective October 1, 200 1, should be used by all GBA tenant agencies for routine maintenance requests, such as light bulb replacements, spill clean-ups, power outages, plumb ing or janitorial problems.

As before, reimbursable work orders, such as the construction of workstations, moving of furniture or office pa inting, must be ro uted through each agency's des ignated work order coordinator. Requests fo r price estimates or reimbursable work must be sent in writing, either by e-mail to

CAPITOL HILL DONATES BLOOD

IN RECORD NUMBERS
by Heather Hedrick

T he American Red Cross and the Georgia Building Authority would like to thank all the volunteers who donated their time, effort and blood at the October 12 Blood Drive, held at the James H . "Sloppy" Floyd Building and the State Capitol Building.

Despite the long lines, a steady stream of state employees waited to donate blood starting at 8:00 a.m. in the Twin Towers Cafeteria Conference Room and concluding at 5:00 p.m. in the South Wing of the State Capitol. According to Stacey Evans, Red Cross Recruitment Representative, the drive located at the Twin Towers collected 53 pints of blood, and the drive located at the Capitol collected 54 pints of blood.

Governor Roy Barnes was among the many blood donors at the State Capitol.
Thanks to all the blood donors and volunteers who helped make this blood drive a fantastic success. Look for information on the Red Cross winter blood drive coming soon.

Georgia Agriculwre Depanmeni's John Sni/Jes will serve as Ca/Jitol Hill 's Sanra again a1 1he annual Holida y Tree Fores t C elebra rion.

2N ANNUAL HOLIDAY

TREE FOREST COMING SOON
b)' H ea ther Hedrick

T he Georgia Building Authority (GBA) is busy planning the annual holiday tree lighting celebration on Monday, December 3, 2001.

(C HCEC ) to visit with Capitol Hill's very own Santa, John Snipes, International Trade Specialist with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

The ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the rotunda of the State Capitol Building. Following a pe1formance by the Atlanta Boy C hoir, Georgia's First Lady and Governor Roy Barnes will officially light the Capitol tree forest .
The U.S. Marine Toys for Tots program will be on hand to accept toy donations from participants. GBA will invite students from the Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center

GBA will once again partner with the Georgia Christmas Tree Farmers Association to bring in several authentic tree varieties indigenous to the state.
More details will be coming soon, but mark your calendars now to attend the 2nd Annual Holiday Tree Forest Celebration on Monday, December 3, 2001.

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Tenant Talk

A MESSAGE FROM DHR DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH

T he Department of Human Resources (DHR) , Division of Public Health has published offici al adv ice to the public on handling A nthrax and other biological agent threats. DHR offers the follow ing tips fo r state employees on Cap itol Hill.
DO NOT PANIC
l. A nthrax organisms can cause infection in the skin, gastro intestinal system, or the lungs. To do, so the organism must be rubbed into abraded skin, swallowed, or inhaled as a fine, aerosolized mist. Disease can be prevented after exposure to the anthrax spores by early treatment with the appropriate antibiotics. Anthrax is not spread from one person to another pe rso n.
2. fo r anthrax to be effective as a covert agent, it must be aerosolized into very small particles. This is difficult to do, and requires a great dea l of technical skill and special equipment. If these small particles are inhaled, lifethreatening lung infection can occur, but prompt recognition and treatment are effe c ti ve.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE?
The likelihood of rece iving a package or

letter containing susp icious substances is remote. However, it is important fo r everyone to be aware of characteristics that are common to susp icious packages. Some indicators include, but are not limited to, the fo llow ing: Excessive postage Handwritten or poorly typed
addresses O ily stains, discolorations or odor No return address Excessive weight, lops ided or uneven
envelope Excess ive tape or string A city or state in the postmark that
does not tnatch the re turn address '
PROTOCOL FOR SUSPICIOUS LETTERS OR PACKAGES:
Do not sh ake or empty the contents of any suspicious envelope or package; DO NOT try to clean up powders or fluids.
Do not carry the package or enve lope, show it to others, or allow others to examine it.
Put the package or envelope on a stable surface; do not sniff, to uch , taste, or look closely at it or any contents that may have sp illed.
Alert others in the area about the suspicious package or envelope.
Leave the area, close any doors, and take actions to prevent others from entering the area. If possible, shut off the ventilation system.

Kachleen E. Toomey, MD ,MDH , Director of che Division of Pi;blic Healch
Wash h ands with soap and water to prevent spread ing potentially infectious material to face or skin.
If at work, notify a supervisor, a security officer, or a law enforcement official. If at h ome, contact the local law enforcement agency, which wi ll conduct a credibility threat assess me nt.
If possible, create a list of persons who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized and a list of persons who also may have handled this package or letter. Give the list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials.
DHR invites yo u to call the Georgia Divis ion of Public Health Event Informat ion Line, operated by the Georgia Poison Cente r, at 1-866- 7523442 (toll-free, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week) for more info rmation .
This information is subject to ch ange as further info rmation is obtained. For the latest version, please visit the Georgia Division of Public Health Bioterrorism webpage at h ttp: //health .state.ga. us/programs/emerpr ep/bioterrorism.shtml.

TENANT Q&A

If you have questions, commen ts or suggestions that you would like to be answered in coming issues of GBA News or Tenant Talk, please fill out the suggestion card in this issue and fax it to: Heather Hedrick, Editor, 404-657-0337.

Q: As in the Twin Towers, is there any place in the State
Capitol where one can lie down for a few minutes in
the event that they feel ill?
-Anonymous

A:

Yes. The ladies' restrooms on the fo urth and second floors of the State Capitol building both have a couch inside. These restrooms are on the east side of the building, closest to Capitol Avenue. Both restrooms are

locked 24 hours a day because they are not for public use. Most large offices in the building have keys to these restrooms. If your office would like to request a key, please ask your work order coord inator to submit a request in writing to the Work Control Center at workorder.request@gw.gba.state.ga. us or by fax at 404463-0227. As always, if an employee has a med ical emergency in the State Capitol bu ilding or any other GBA fac ility, he or she should call 911 and ask for an ambulance.

Tenant Tai~

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Tenant Talk
A GBA Newsletter
Helen Scholes, Executive Director I MLK Jr., Drive,Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404.656.3253 Fax: 404.657.0337
Submission Information: Heather Hedrick, Editor
heather. hedrick@gw.gba.state .ga.us phone: 404.463.0334

COOPERATION IN ACTION
by Heather Hedrick

O n Thursday, October 25, Capitol Hill saw government cooperation in action .
Beneath the James H. "S loppy" Floyd Building, the Georgia State MARTA station carries thousands of passenge rs through Capi to l Hill every day. Whil e ra il access is a significant benefit to Capito l Hill's location, it a lso creates an accessibility risk to the tenants housed in the 20-story state owned bui lding looming a bo ve.
The G eo rgia Building Authority (G BA), wo rking in conjunction with the G eorgia Emerge ncy Manage ment Age ncy (G EMA), identifi ed the open underground area leading in to the public MARTA entra nce as a potentia l risk. While sympathetic to these concerns, MARTA was unabl e to fin ance the purchase of barriers to block vehicle entrance to the ground- level facility.
Louis Niper, G BA's Safety Enhancement Team leader, contac ted the Geo rgia Department of Transportation (DOT) , and arra nged fo r the donation of 21 cement barriers, taken from a highway project in Forest Park, Georgia.

O n Thursday, October 25, Niper met with representatives from MARTA , DOT and GEMA to secure the delivery and place ment of the 5,500 lb. barriers on bo th the Butler and Piedmont Street sides of the MARTA station. The barriers are each ten fee t long and more than two feet thick, standing side by side to block any large vehicles from entering in to the MARTA station, undernea th the S loppy Floyd Building. The barriers stand 60 to 44 inches apart in certa in areas, as required by state fire marsh al regulations fo r safe ex iting purposes.
Accordin g to Dona Lee Welch, Fi eld Distr ict Seven Engineer fo r DOT, the barriers, labor and equipment donated by the age ncy total more than $21,000.
MARTA Detecti ve Tim Bure ll says that MARTA is seeking funds to replace the cement barriers with more aestheti ca lly pleasing barricades in the future. He explained that o ther stations all over the metro Atlanta area are be ing equipped with similar obstructions for safe ty purposes.