Tenant talk [Vol. 7, no. 6 (Fall 2002)]

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CHCEC GETS VISIT FROM FIREFIGHTERS
The Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center (CHCEC) received a visit from the Atlanta Fire Department on October 30, 2002. The excited students learned about fire prevention and safety and got an upclose look at a fire engine. During their visit to the school, the firefighters highlighted the importance of not playing with matches or lighters. They also stressed the need to have an escape route in case of a fire, and the need to have a fire alarm in the home that is kept in good working order.
CHCEC students get an inside look at a fire engine

Tenant Talk
A GBA Newsletter
Helen Scholes, Executive Director 1 MLK Jr., Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404.656.3253 Fax: 404.657.0337 www.ganet.org/gba
SECAP'S REMARKABLE
GROWTH CONTINUES
The State Employee Commuter Assistance Program (SECAP) is proud to highlight its remarkable growth in employee participation. Metro-Atlanta traffic was reduced by over 21,800 single-occupant vehicles during this year's smog season. This change represents an increase of 1,605 SECAP participants over 2001. With a 13% growth rate in the participation of the program, we are well on our way to reducing air pollution in Atlanta.
If you are interested in being a part of the program, check the SECAP web site www.ga-secap.com or call the SECAP office at 404/463-6440. SECAP is eager to assist you with your commuting needs.

1 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Atlanta, GA 30334

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GEORGIA BUILDING AUTHORITY
TENANT TALK

A Newsletter of the Georgia Building Authority Helen Scholes, Executive Director Volume 7, No. 6 Fall Issue

THE SHINING HISTORY OF GEORGIA'S GOLD DOME
By Andrew Boatright

The awe-inspiring sight of "Miss Freedom" atop the Georgia Capitol's gold dome is a source of pride to both lifelong and newly arrived Georgians. Although it appears to be an original part of our State Capitol, the gold dome has been covered in the precious metal only in recent times.

In 1958, the people of Dahlonega donated gold panned from their rivers or out of their safety deposit boxes to the state of Georgia. Forty-three men, women, and children rode in a wagon train to deliver the 43 oz. of gold for the gilding (the laying of gold leaf) to cover the State Capitol dome. The gold meant a great deal to the people of Georgia because Dahlonega is the site of America's first gold rush in 1828. The gold was carried to Atlanta in a trunk owned by William Few, one of Georgia's signers of the United States Constitution.

Georgia's Dome

Due to the usual wear and tear of age and weather, a regilding of the Capitol dome was necessary in 1979. A wagon train began its journey at Jekyll Island and then went to Savannah, Augusta, Macon, and Dahlonega. It finally made its way to
Atlanta, stopping in every city that has served as our State Capitol at some time during our history and raising money for the important project along the route.
When the Capitol dome was recently regilded between 1995 and 1997, it had to be done in sections because of budget constraints. The dome should not need regilding for another 20 years, but when it does, it will definitely be worth the effort.
Our Capitol in its Classic Renaissance style is a defining landmark that symbolizes Georgia's rich history and great hope for the future. We must do everything we can to continue to persevere this important part of our history for future generations to enjoy.

GBA PLAYS ESSENTIAL ROLE IN DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF THE STATE

By Helen Scholes and Louis Niper

The Georgia Building Authority (GBA) is defined by Official Code of Georgia (OCGA) 50-9-1 through 50-9111 as an instrumentality of the state and public corporation with a board of directors consisting of the Governor, State Auditor, Lt. Governor, Commissioner of Agriculture and an appointee of the Governor...
GBA consists of several important divisions that are vital to the day-to-day operations of state business.

Facilities Operation Division
Responsible for all services other than security (mansion staff, 18 acres of grounds, renovations, repairs, and conditioned air management Heat/Air) at the Governor's Mansion.
Responsible for renovations, preventative maintenance and modernization for 51 state-owned buildings, which encompass some 5.1 million square feet of space as well as 11 other state-owned sites including cemeteries and warehouse locations. Manages/maintains 109 elevators, 11 escalators, and 40 fire alarm and suppression systems

throughout GBA managed facilities Responsible for monitoring and managing the heating, cooling and HVAC systems at the Central Energy Plant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Provides a centralized, direct supply of conditioned air(chilled water/hot water/steam) management for 16 state-owned buildings Manages five state-owned facilities through an automated dial-up system for conditioned air Maintains, repairs and manages 6750 tons of cooling machinery and 100 million BTUs of heating equipment on a daily basis

TO BE CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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GBA PLAYS ESSENTIAL ROLE IN DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF THE STATE

(CONTINUED)

Responsible for the automation management and operation of the HVAC system at the State Archives Building 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Manages the centralized computer center and the State Archives facility
Operates the Work Control Center which serves as a reporting center for state agencies with requesting assistance, i.e.- maintenance requests, moving requests, etc.
Processes roughly 38,000 requests yearly. 15,000 on-demand requests (tenant space/ building repairs) 2,000 reimbursable requests (payable by the tenant) 1,700 upgrade/replacement requests (worn out interiors) 20,000 preventative maintenance requests (mechanical equipment)
Engineering
Manages large-scale construction /renovation projects from conception to completion. Current projects include, but are not limited to the 2 Peachtree Building, the Peachtree Annex, and The State Capitol
Food Service and Stately Events Catering
Operates the four existing cafeterias on Capitol Hill serving 850,000 customers yearly
Stately Events operates six banquet meeting rooms on Capitol Hill with a total of 1,000 events being served in the last year varying from small and large business meetings, banquets, receptions and luncheons to outside catering events
Landscaping & Recycling
Landscapes state-owned properties covering 74 acres of lawn care with 18,000 square feet of flower beds and gardens
Operates the state facility recycling program where last year 3,152 tons of material was recycled
Responsible for the yearly Holiday Decorating of the State Capitol, Governor's Mansion and the public spaces within the facilities managed by the GBA

Operates the full-time childcare center on Capitol Hill for ages 6 weeks to 5 years for State and NonState Employees which is accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) and participates in the state funded pre-K program
Offers a 10 station computer lab with educational software
Parking and Transportation
Operates and maintains 27 parking facilities for state employees, legislators and visitors in the Capitol Hill Complex totaling 7,889 parking spaces
Created and operates the State Employee Commuter Assistance Program (SECAP) Provides 445 state employees with rideshare opportunities with a 43 online vans in the vanpool fleet 22 vans operate with Bio Diesel fuel 13 vans operate with Clean Natural Gas 5 vans operate with gasoline
Partners with MARTA-4,000 monthly riders, Gwinnett Transit 50 monthly riders and Cobb Transit 25 monthly riders to help alleviate traffic congestion and pollution in metro Atlanta
Property Resources Division
Maintains/monitors 1,250 access control card readers 24 hours a day 7 days a week within the state-owned and operated buildings
Maintains/monitors 224 closed circuit television cameras 24 hours a day 7 days a week throughout the state-owned facilities
Maintains/monitors 193 outside Emergency Call Boxes (Blue Lights) and 86 Duress Buttons which are strategically located within state agency space 24 hours a day 7 days a week
Manages 41 Property Resources Access Control Posts daily
Processes/issues/manages 10,000 state photo identification badges and access control card keys

Contracts Department
Manages state agency/non state agency leases bids for services contracts and professional services contracting
Purchasing Department
Handles the procurement of office supplies and materials and equipment for construction and food services
Human Resources
Responsible for personnel benefits, payroll, training and recruitment for 460 GBA staff members
GBA FOOD SERVICES SURVEY
The Georgia Building Authority (GBA) is gauging interest in offering a prepaid meal card (ranging in various dollar amounts - $10, $20, $50, etc.) to state employees for the Floyd Building Cafeteria and Le Gril On The Hill.
Would you be interested in a prepaid meal card program?
Yes___ No___
How often during the week do you think you'd use the card?
____
Please respond to Vicki Kelly at vicki.kelly@gw.gba.state.ga.us
or drop off this survey at
The Georgia Building Authority, 1 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.

Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center

Internal Administration Division

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Tenant Talk

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GBA'S CENTRAL ENERGY PLANT

By Peggy Bowen

For those of you who have wondered about all the steam coming out of the four short, round towers in front of the

During the winter months, Mr. Miller explains, "We operate one group of equipment to produce our heat and during the summer

James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Building, it is from the Georgia

months we operate another group of equipment to produce our

Building Authority's Central Energy Plant (CEP).

cooling. Thus, preventable maintenance projects are a year

round, seven days a week project". Employees check belts, clean

The facility extends from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to the

equipment, inspect for leaks, rebuild pumps, and replace

loading dock area underneath the lobby covering an area of

equipment that cannot be repaired. CEP workers are on duty 24

more than 31,000 sq. ft. It operates

hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, and

six chillers, three boilers, and two

they respond to emergency calls all over the Hill

large emergency generators that

between the hours of 4:00pm and 7:00am.

supply the Floyd Building with power

in case of an outage, and is capable

"While the Energy Management Division of GBA is a

of producing 100 million BTUs

unit that is not visible to the average tenant, it is the

(British Thermal Units) of heating

most critical part of GBA", according to Johnny

and 6,750 tons of cooling capacity.

Green, the Facilities Manager of the Central Energy

The average home likely has a 90

Plant. It keeps all of the buildings on Capital Hill

BTU furnace and a 3.2 ton air

comfortable in the summer and winter, and produces

conditioning unit. The Central Energy Plant's state-of-the-art computer

The Central Energy Plant Stacks

the steam to heat pots and clean dishes in the Floyd Towers Cafeteria. CEP is also responsible for

system "Apogee" continuously monitors

maintaining millions of dollars worth of equipment.

all chillers and boilers, and their gauges sound an alarm if a

boiler's temperature rises too high or falls too low.

The employees are required to be familiar with all mechanical

operations, to handle a long list of preventative maintenance

Daniel Miller, a supervisor at the plant, says "Every season

items, and to be constantly aware of their own safety and the

changes the plant's whole operation. It's like learning four jobs". safety of everyone working with them in the plant.

NEW ERA IN GEORGIA VOTING
By Andrew Boatright

Georgia voters played a major part in the effort to bring our democracy into the future.
On November 5th, Georgia voters cast their ballots on one of 19,015 new electronic voting machines across the state. From the early reports, the project has been a success. The images on the screens are clear and easy to read, and one voter mentioned that it was easier to operate than her microwave at home.

The new electronic machines will make voting both quicker and reduce the chances of voter error. Georgia is at the forefront of the election reform effort, and Secretary of State Cathy Cox should be commended for her visionary efforts to improve voting in our state.

New voting machine

For further information on voting in Georgia, please contact the Secretary of State's Office at 404/656-2781 or go online to www.georgiacounts.com.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE IS A SUCCESS

By Andrew Boatright

The American Red Cross and the Georgia Building Authority would like to thank all the volunteers and those who donated at the October 11th blood drive in the James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Building. The drive collected 39 pints of blood.

GBA appreciates everyone's contribution to the effort and would like to remind people that with the upcoming holidays, there will be an urgent need for blood, so if you haven't donated recently, please consider doing so.

Sate employees donating blood

For information on eligibility and upcoming Red Cross blood drives, contact Dot Haller at 404/656-7777 or dot.haller@gw.gba.state.ga.us

Tenant Talk

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FALL 2002 GASFA CONFERENCE
by Dr. Gena Abraham and Kimberly Johnson

The recent Georgia Association of State Facilities Administrators meeting September 16-17, 2002 was a great success.There were 223 participants, the largest group to date, representing 17 state agencies.
Helen Scholes, GASFA President, welcomed the GASFA members and exhibitors to the conference. The keynote speaker, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Lonice Barrett, discussed the importance of the Georgia Barrier Islands and their impact to GASFA members. The agenda covered a wide range of topics from the latest trends in construction and engineering information technology, architectural and engineering design services, to fire safety and performance contracting.

New officers were also

nominated and elected at the meeting President,

LLT Sandcastle Exhibit

Danny Elijah-GSFIC;

President-Elect, Kimball Peed-GSFIC; Secretary, David

Freedman-DNR; and Treasurer, Gena Abraham-Georgia Tech,

with Helen Scholes serving as the ex-officio member of the

Executive Committee.

WATER LINE BREAK AT THE FLOYD BUILDING

by Andrew Boatright

In the early morning hours of August 29, 2002, a compression fitting on a water line on the 17th floor in the East Tower broke. Flooding affected a large area from the 17th floor down to the 6th floor, as well as the plaza level and the elevator room in the basement.
After a Property Resources officer discovered the leak, the Facilities team quickly shut off the water in order to repair the line. Belfour USA and Kone Elevator Company, outside contractors, were immediately called in to begin the clean up and drying out process in the affected areas.

The electronic elevator controls sustained the worst damage. As a safety precaution, some of the elevators will remain out of service until repairs are made and the Elevator Inspector at the Department of Labor approves them to be put back in service.
If there is anything GBA can do to assist you, please have your department's coordinator contact the GBA Work Control Desk at 404/463-4357(HELP). We apologize for any inconvenience.

NEW SYSTEM BACK-UP FOR 2 PEACHTREE
By Andrew Boatright
GBA conducted an airlift of two electrical generators at 2 Peachtree. Atlanta Police temporarily blocked off traffic on all roads along the helicopter's path. The move took less than half-an-hour to transport the generators from the staging area on Upper Wall Street to the top of the 2 Peachtree Building.

The two generators, weighing 2,200 lbs. each, are for backup energy supply and will be used only if electrical power to the building is interrupted.

The timing of this coordination between the contractor, Winter Construction, and the helicopter company was crucial because most helicopters from the area were diverted to help fight forest fires in the western United States.

A helicopter in mid-flight delivers back-up generators to 2 Peachtree.

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

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Tenant Talk

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REMEMBRANCE OF SEPTEMBER 11TH

The shocking and horrific events of last September have forever changed our lives. There is increased security at our nation's airports and government buildings; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is working overtime to prepare against any possible biological or chemical attacks; and our strong sense of security has been replaced by one of vulnerability.

remember the men and women who are fighting to protect our way of life in Afghanistan and throughout the world.
As we enjoy the many freedoms our nation has to offer, we must never forget that a heavy price was paid to earn them.

As we commemorated the first anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil, it's still difficult to come to terms with the tragedy. September 11th is an open wound for many Americans, and a year after the attack, it is painful to revisit the images of planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and then seeing one of the defining landmarks of the New York City skyline collapse.

Across the nation, small towns and large cities held events to honor not only those who died in the attacks, but also to

GBA shows its patriotism

FALL FESTIVAL AT CHCEC
By Andrew Boatright
Wearing their favorite costumes, excited students from the Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center (CHCEC) celebrated the sixth annual Fall Festival Parade on October 29, 2002.
Students dressed as everything from Spiderman and Spongebob Squarepants, to a princess and kitty cat marched in a parade at the child care center. The children also got a special visit from Governor Barnes and First Lady Marie Barnes. The Governor read "Clifford's Big Halloween", and then he and the First Lady gave each student a book and some candy. It was a great experience for everyone involved.

Tigger getting a book

GBI DEDICATES NEW FACILITY
By Andrew Boatright
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation dedicated a new annex in Decatur on October 15, 2002. The new facility will be a great resource for analyzing forensic evidence in the state's effort to track down those responsible for crimes committed in Georgia. The annex is named in honor of Dr. Herman Jones who was head of the State Crime Lab when it was transferred from Fulton County Police Department in 1952.

From its early beginnings, Dr. Jones and his staff were able to make great strides in providing vital clues to law enforcement officers around the state. Today, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab is at the cutting edge of crime solving techniques and technology with a highly dedicated and skilled staff.

The importance of this agency and the great work they do will benefit law enforcement personnel as well as the people of Georgia long into the future.

Q&A

TENANT Q&A
If you have questions, comments 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 the Public Information Office at 404/657-0337.

Q: When are the gates locked at the Butler Street Parking

A: The gates to the Butler Street Parking Deck are locked at

Deck? Also, how can state employees get their car out of

9:30PM. If you are working later than that time, you must

the deck once the gates are locked?

call the Property Resources office at 404/656-7822 to have

them send an officer to open the gates.

Tenant Talk

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