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Physical Plant Services
Phone: 309/298-1834
Fax: 309/298-1844
- General Information
- Quick Reference for Building Maintenance & Other Physical Plant Services
- Physical Plant Organization
- Physical Plant Maintenance & Operations Funding
- General Maintenance and Capital Renewal Project Priority Guidelines
- Charge-Back Projects
- Procedure for Obtaining Cost Estimates and Initiating Projects
- Estimates and Project Costs
- Project Payment Obligations
- Moving Services
- Shipping and Receiving - Shipping Freight Off Campus
- Incoming Shipments
- Guidelines for Special Events Utilizing University Facilities
- Safety/Hazardous Material Management
- Transportation Services
- Vending Services
- Space Heater Restriction
General Information
The Physical Plant is responsible for maintenance, modification, and new construction for Western Illinois University, WIU Quad Cities Campuses, and other remote WIU facilities. These responsibilities include buildings, grounds, support facilities, and utility infrastructure. Operations and Maintenance units within Physical Plant include Mechanical Maintenance, Building Maintenance, Building Services, Grounds Maintenance, and Heating Plant. Physical Plant Facilities Planning and Construction provides project management for major capital projects as well as planning, design, and construction management for minor projects. Physical Plant administration provides management accounting services, work order control, billing support, warehousing and central receiving, data management, and other customer services.
Quick Reference for Building Maintenance & Other Physical Plant Services
- Report all heating, cooling and other building maintenance problems to your designated Building Representative.
- Report any and all emergencies to the Office of Public Safety at 298-1949.
- To request Physical Plant Services complete a a hard-copy or utilize the on-line Service Request form (MAXIMO systems only).
- For General Physical Plant Information utilize on-line services through the official WIU Web Page under Administration or call 298-1834.
- To request keys to academic buildings, contact the Office of Public Safety.
Physical Plant Organization
- Facilities Operations & Maintenance
- Mechanical Maintenance 298-2873 (Heating, cooling, kitchen, laundry, pools)
Building Maintenance 298-2882 (Painting, carpentry, electrical, locks, elevators, roofs) - Building Services 298-2855 (Janitorial, moving, pest control, recycling, fire extinguishers)
Grounds Maintenance298-2881 (Mowing, snow removal, parking and roads, utility excavation, landscaping) - Heating Plant 298-1200 (Plant production, steam and thermal distribution)
- Facilities Planning and Construction 298-2876
- Project programming, estimates, design, design and project management, coordination with State Capital Development Board on all capital projects, GIS, in-house projects
- Physical Plant Administration
- Business Operations 298-1834 (Physical Plant management accounting services, Warehousing and Central Receiving, Work Order control)
Campus Customer Liaison Office 298-1834 (For problems associated with any Physical Plant service or campus project.)
Physical Plant Director 298-2822
Physical Plant Maintenance & Operations Funding
Physical Plant maintenance and operations budgets received by the State provide for basic upkeep and periodic replacement of minor campus assets. Capital Renewal budgets are provided by the State for the replacement of major capital assets such as heating plant equipment, steam and water distribution piping on campus, electrical and fiber-optic distribution infrastructure, roofing, chillers, elevators, etc.
Major capital funding is requested from the State by the University for large-scale building renovations and for new building construction. The University does not receive a fixed major capital budget for each year and may not always receive major capital funding. The backlog of unfunded capital renewal projects is a significant national problem among public universities and is frequently referred to as deferred maintenance. Because of the growing deferred maintenance and deferred capital renewal liability, the following priorities are generally employed as a guideline for expending appropriated capital renewal as well as available maintenance and operational funding received from the State.
General Maintenance and Capital Renewal Project Priority Guidelines
Priority I Safety & Health Issues
Priority II Environmental and Mandated Code Compliance Issues
Priority III Utility Infrastructure affecting Multiple Building Installations
Priority IV Issues affecting Revenue Loss to the University
Priority V Educational Functions
Priority VI Building Comfort and Energy Management Systems
Priority VII Non-Educational, Issues affecting Appearance of Building and Grounds
Charge-Back Projects
Work requested and paid for by an academic or other department is known as a "charge-back" project. Charge-back projects are managed by Physical Plant and may be accomplished with in-house Physical Plant personnel or contractors. Many factors, including Physical Plant work schedules, seasonal issues, project scale and cost, special skill requirements, and urgency of need are used by Physical Plant to determine labor strategies for accomplishing requested work. The Physical Plant attempts to execute all projects within desired schedules as cost effectively as possible. All craft and trades labor employed by the University or a contractor must be paid the current prevailing rate. Physical Plant does incorporate an overhead charge on its charge-back work, does not profit from the overhead charge, but uses the funds to equip charge-back personnel with tools, equipment, and vehicle use.
Procedure for Obtaining Cost Estimates and Initiating Projects
Departments that wish to request charge-back projects should request a cost estimate by completing a Service Request . To initiate a project the department should e-mail its account name and number to the project estimator and the Business Manager of the Physical Plant.
Estimates and Project Costs
Estimates represent the Physical Plant's best approximation of the total cost to complete a requested project. Estimates are prepared by professional staff who employ recognized industry standards and comparable project cost experiences in their estimates. Because departments pay actual project costs only, Physical Plant will not "negotiate-down" its cost estimates. Renovation involves numerous unknowns. Therefore, estimates include contingencies of up to 20% of the estimated project cost. Owing to the high demand for Plant project services, cost estimates under $5,000 will not include a multiple detailed line item break of specific costs.
Institutional renovation involves rigid safety and environmental code compliance as well as accessibility for the disabled. Accordingly, University projects may cost up to three times that of light commercial or residential construction. Because of age and functional changes, many campus buildings no longer support capacity increases of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems necessitated by a project. As Physical Plant does not receive funding to defray these legitimate project costs, they must be borne by the requesting department.
Project Payment Obligations
Projects constructed during two different fiscal years may be paid with funds from two fiscal years. However, all work accomplished during a specific year must be paid for using funds from that period. To finalize project initiation, the Dean of the requesting department certifies that its department will pay all related project expenses as billed by Physical Plant. Short duration projects will be billed upon completion, while long duration projects will be billed to the departments each month. End-of-fiscal-year bills will occur in the final month of that period for all active projects.
Maintenance Items
- Air Conditioner Repair
- Air Handling Unit Repair
- Ballast Replacement (Lighting)
- Bells, Class
- Bulletin Board Repair
- Cabinet Repair (Minor)
- Carpet Cleaning
- Ceiling Tile Repair
- Ceramic Tile Repair
- Clock Repair
- Desk Repair (Minor)
- Door Closure Repair
- Door Repair
- Electrical Circuit Repair
- Electrical Repairs
- Elevator Repairs
- Exit Light Repair
- Fire Alarm Maintenance/Repair
- Floor Cleaning/Waxing
- Floor Tile Replacement/Repair
- Furniture Cleaning/Repair
- Glass Replacement
- Heating Repairs
- Ice/Snow Removal
- Key Replacement
- Kitchen Equipment Maintenance/Repairs
- Laundry Equipment Maintenance/Repairs
- Light Bulb Replacement
- Light Fixture/Switch Repair/Replacement Lighting, Exterior Repair/Replacement
- Lock Repair
- Locking/Unlocking Rooms by Permit Only
- Mirror Repair
- Moving Furniture/Special Equipment
- Painting
- Pavement Repairs
- Pest Control
- Plant Care - Lawn
- Plaster Work
- Plumbing Repairs - Toilets, Faucets, Showers
- Restroom Cleaning/Stock Supplies
- Roof Repair
- Screen Repair/Replacement
- Security Alarm Repair/Replacement
- Set-Ups - Rooms/Outdoors
- Sidewalk Repair
- Signage - Small, Non-Electrical Installation
- Spills, Clean-up
- Stage Set-ups - Fixed/Portable
- Swimming Pool - Maintenance
- Trash Removal
- UPS Pickups
- Venetian Blinds - Cleaning/Repair
- Window - Cleaning/Repair/Replacement
- Window Screen Repair/Replacement
Services Not Available from Physical Plant
- Cabinet Refinishing/Painting
- Cleaning of Personal Items
- Computer Repair
- Desk Refinishing/Painting
- Drapery Cleaning
- Fish Tank Repair/Maintenance
- Furniture Assembly
- Furniture Refinishing/Painting
- Off-Campus Moving/Hauling
- Office Equipment Repair
- Picture Framing
- Plant Care - Inside Buildings
- Signage - Painting or Manufacturing
- Telecommunications Repair/Maintenance
- Tools, Loaned
Moving Services
The Physical Plant provides the labor necessary to move furniture and any other items requiring a truck and moving equipment. The unit planning the move should send a Service Request form to the Physical Plant, indicating the building and room number of the present location and the location to which the items are to be moved. Attach a list of all items to be moved.
The Service Request form must be approved by the department chairperson and building representative.
Prior to a move, tag all items indicating the building and room number of the new location. Make a small sketch of the new location, indicating the exact location of all items to be moved.
Before the day of the move, all loose materials must be packed and boxed, desks cleaned out, shelves cleaned off, and files emptied (unless drawers are removable).
Boxes of printed matter, paper goods, etc., must always be packed securely. In all cases, this material must be large enough to justify the use of a truck and the special service crew. All smaller items must be moved by the department.
A representative of the department should be on hand during the move.
The Physical Plant is not permitted nor qualified to move delicate or sensitive equipment or extremely heavy items. Manufacturers, and in some cases service contractors, may need to be consulted before these items can be moved.
Any move involving items with Western Illinois University tag numbers must first be approved by Property Control.
Service Request forms must be received seven days in advance for small moves and 15 days in advance for large moves.
Shipping and Receiving - Shipping Freight Off Campus
All outgoing freight is shipped through the Central Receiving Station of the Physical Plant.
Phone Central Receiving to have freight picked up for shipment. A Service Request form must be available when pickup is made. This request should include the amount of insurance and contents (when required), complete address, and account number to be charged. All pickups must be addressed and ready for shipment.
Obtain approval for payment from the fiscal agent prior to shipment. Failure to do so may result in the charges being billed to the individual requesting the shipment. The Service Request form will serve as the billing to your account.
Normally shipments are made via United Parcel Service or commercial truck. Central Receiving does not handle Parcel Post. United Parcel Service has a 150 pound weight limit and a 108 inch length plus girth limit. Anything larger is shipped by commercial truck.
Pickups made before 10:00 a.m. will be shipped the same day. To maintain this service, Central Receiving should be notified the afternoon before or no later than 9:00 a.m. the day of the scheduled pickup. Any pickup after 10:00 a.m. will be shipped the next working day. When special catering is required, an additional day is needed.
Incoming Shipments
Each incoming shipment should be marked with the Purchase Order number or name of the person to whom delivery is to be made. Central Receiving then identifies the shipment by comparing it to their copy of the Purchase Order. The Purchasing Office sends Central Receiving a copy of each order they expect to go through Central Receiving. Other departments ordering materials to go through Central Receiving should send copies of their orders to Central Receiving. If the materials cannot be identified by order number or name, they will be refused.
The ordering department should, as soon as practical, unpack and inspect all shipments. If there is a possibility of concealed damage, packing containers and packing material should be saved until a claim adjuster arrives. As soon as concealed damage is found, contact Central Receiving.
Collect freight bills are sent to the Purchasing Office or the department issuing the order.
C.O.D. shipments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with Central Receiving.
Any information regarding the size of a truck load or time of arrival will expedite delivery. Arrangements for special handling equipment must be made in advance.
Guidelines for Special Events Utilizing University Facilities
Groups external to Western Illinois University may schedule special events by making arrangements with the University Conference Coordinator or the Office of Conferences and Event Services. If such events will require Physical Plant services, a Service Request form must be forwarded at least one month in advance of the event. Physical Plant will charge-back to the group hosting the event all overtime or additional staff charges for janitorial, moving crew, electricians, carpenters, engineers, etc., and any related material charges incurred in conjunction with the event.
Air conditioning will be provided at a cost of $500 per day or any part thereof in Western Hall. No charge will be assessed for Commencement, Bureau of Cultural Affairs productions, or other activities deemed appropriate by the administration.
Space Heater Restriction
Space Heater Restriction
Due to fire hazard and inefficient energy use, portable space heaters may not be used in University buildings. Additionally, these devices may not be purchased with University funds.
Acceptable alternatives include heated floor mats and radiating heating panels. Individual circumstances may warrant the consideration of other models. Requests for personal space warming devices must be approved by Physical Plant Mechanical Engineer.
