Work on Mannoia Hall tops summer maintenance priorities
Published: July 20, 2022
While summer may be a slower time for many on the Greenville University campus, it’s the time when employees in the GU Facilities Department shift into high gear.
“Summer is a good time to get many of our maintenance jobs done,” said Todd Siebert, facilities department director (pictured). “There are many projects we can’t do when the students are here, because we would interfere with things going on around campus.” 
To establish the priority list of summer projects, Siebert considers requests received from University employees, meets with Ross Baker, dean of students and director of residence life, and does a walk-through inspection of all residence halls to see what needs attention.
This year, Siebert said, the facilities department crew of six workers is focusing on upgrades to several residence halls– painting, patching walls, and replacing damaged items such as carpet tiles, blinds, and screens.
Baker said that the 78-bed Mannoia Hall was selected for more extensive work.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic was more prevalent, Mannoia Hall was used to house students who were quarantining,” Baker said. “We had waves of people going through there and the building needed a little extra attention. Now that the COVID numbers are down, we will re-open it as a regular residence hall.”
He said that flooring was replaced throughout the building – laminate flooring in all residential rooms and carpet in the lounge areas. Additionally, walls were patched and painted, furniture was repaired, window blinds were replaced, and new LED light units were installed. Many sinks, cabinets and countertops were replaced in lounge areas, and new shower heads were installed in all bathrooms.
“The building’s bones were strong because it’s been well maintained over the years,” Baker said. “With these upgrades, it should be one of the nicest residential halls on campus.”
Other residence halls also are receiving flooring upgrades. Vinyl flooring will be installed in Blankenship Apartments and new carpet will be installed in the lobby of Burritt Hall. Additionally, some outdoor concrete work has been done on the north side of Burritt Hall and some interior painting is under way at the Prairie Center.
“I like to see things get done and be part of improving our facilities,” said Siebert, who has worked more than 33 years in the facilities department. He served as associate director for 13 years before assuming the director’s role at the beginning of 2022. “We want to continually update our systems and maintain our facilities, so everything operates smoothly.”
Baker said that a project to upgrade all the security cameras in the residence halls will begin during the fall semester, but because of supply chain uncertainties, the project may not be completed until the beginning of the second semester.
“It’s a major safety improvement,” he said. “We’ll be installing about 150 cameras in entrances, hallways and laundry rooms. This will dramatically improve our ability to monitor activities around campus.”
