Dear Colleagues, 

I would like to take a moment to provide an update on the Minor Renovations schedule and process, where UCR Facilities Services self-performs smaller facilities renovation projects, as allowed by board policy. Prior to the campus closure our teams were performing work on 36 minor renovations that had been prioritized by Org Units in the Fall 2019 and Winter 2020. All work stopped on these projects during March - May, as a result of COVID-19. While some FS staff have always been working on campus, all Facilities Services staff returned to work in late May, and we focused on building operations and safety, especially for those facilities in operation. Later in June, we re-engaged in the minor renovations projects and identified 16 prioritized projects which may be completed by early Fall, should the work be able to be completed safely using physical distancing guidelines under COVID-19 requirements. 

During the closure period, the list of Spring projects submitted by Org's and additional projects electronically submitted during the closure have not been reviewed. In the coming weeks, we will be sending each Org their list of projects to be prioritized. However, Facilities Services will only be performing work on critical projects (i.e. Research Related, New Faculty Hires, Utility Connections). All other projects should be held by the Org until a later date, after we have passed the daily impacts of COVID-19. 

These are challenging times for all of UCR, and Facilities Services has continued to perform critical campus maintenance to ensure campus facilities are fully operational while facing reduced staff due to COVID-19 virus and quarantine requirements, and our planning for and implementing of budget reductions. 

Although our main focus for this new fiscal year will be the maintenance of campus assets, we remain committed to providing our specialized skills to the overall campus in terms of minor renovations. I remain hopeful that in the future we can serve all of your needs, but for now we need your assistance to prioritize the most critical work for your unit specifically related to research, new faculty and utility connections. This will help us maintain the appropriate focus while the campus moves forward in the coming months. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel welcome to reach out to me.

Susan

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Susan L. Marshburn

Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities Services