Facility Masters — Training for Educational Facility Professionals

Hosted by Roger Young, featuring Jeff Murphy (Sightlines), Keith MacDonald and Robert Fisher (Bridgewater State University)

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• How safe is it to apply boric acid in kitchen for cockroach problem?
  • If you have a cockroach problem applying boric acid is fine, but it should not be your only treatment.  Cockroaches are known to live in tight dark spaces – you pest control company should be using bait stations, gel baits and boric acid in mop water as possible options.  However, repeated use of boric acid in the kitchen area will help to create resistance from the cockroaches in a few short months.

http://www.extension.org/pages/22045/school-ipm-action-plan-for-german-cockroaches

• What office at the state level is responsible for IPM guidance and are regulations?
  • What state are you in?  In general most states have Dept of Agriculture who oversees all types of pesticide applications.  However in some states the Dept of Education can also have some say in an IPM program as well.

• We use plastic bait boxes with poisonous bait. Are you saying these should not be used? We are told they do not instantly kill the mice. They will eat bait and die later
  • Bait stations can be used, but you must remember mice and rats eat the bait or translocate the bait (move it) and will die later.  The biggest myth is they will go outside to seek water – NO – once rats and mice are in your building, they are in the building.

The grounds of your educational organization  should be included in your standard maintenance plans.  Your grounds are often the first perception that a parent, child or the general public have of your organization, so properly maintained grounds are critical to making a good impression and demonstrating your commitment to a well maintained campus that fosters student learning.

Our peers on the Listserv recently requested standard operating procedures Grounds Maintenance, and we have gathered a few resources to share here.

Some free, online resources include: Read more…

Energy conservation and awareness are major topics of discussion on our Listserv this week because sustainability is rapidly becoming part of the core mission for many education institutions. Re-thinking how you manage energy consumption and the “carbon impact” of your campus can help generate savings from your energy budget.

But many of our peers aren’t sure where or how to get started. With budgets tighter than ever, many organizations can’t afford extensive energy upgrade projects. However, it’s important to remember that even something as simple as an incentive program that encourages behavioral changes for building occupants (students, teachers/faculty, administrators) is a step in the right direction.

Faced with this challenge, here’s how one member of the Listserv responded: Read more…