Seven ways F&S prepares for spring and summer

From making repairs, to switching on chillers, to preparing the grounds for convocation and taking care of the little details—here are seven ways F&S is preparing campus for warmer weather.

1. We get ready to cool the school

In early spring, we start to inspect, clean and bring 110 chillers and cooling towers online so that they can effectively cool indoor campus spaces by removing heat from buildings.

Each chiller has hundreds of tubes. We brush the inside of each tube to remove debris. Every three years the tubes are also measured to help identify possible leak locations. After maintenance, cleaning and inspection, we fill cooling towers and chillers with treated water. These kinds of inspections are a part of our program of preventative maintenance, which maximizes the efficiency and efficacy of aging infrastructure.

In the spring, our property managers encourage campus partners to do preventative maintenance on their air conditioners, like window units or split systems. This includes a visual inspection, filter cleaning and necessary repairs.

2. We replace HVAC filters with fresh, new ones

Changing filters and keeping coils clean improves indoor air quality and the efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

We replace the filters inside the 720 air handling units across the St. George campus as needed based on the number of particles lodged in the filter.

3. We find and fix any winter damage

Our Grounds and Property Management teams evaluate the effects of weather-related events. Ice, wind, snow, salt and cold temperatures can damage roofs and pipes indoors and sidewalks, shrubs, grass and trees outdoors. In the spring, our Grounds team does a general clean-up of the winter snow/ice. They remove the garbage that accumulated on the sidewalks, pathways and gardens around campus. 

Our Grounds team repairs and/or removes dead plants and leaves, and orders replacements as needed. Meanwhile, property managers work with the trades to address any building damage. They perform monthly building inspections—coordinating repairs and focusing on areas that require attention before students return for the summer term. They also coordinate spring roof cleanup and maintenance, conduct annual inspections and testing of roof anchors as required, schedule window washing across campus and ensure that exterior building water supplies are turned on for the summer. We may also coordinate with the City of Toronto when we experience water supply issues. 

4. We take care of the details

Our Caretaking team cleans winter walk-off mats, removes any salt inside the buildings, takes down winter signage and removes any temporary carpeting from the winter.

5. We bring out the summer gear

We need different equipment prepared and organized to transition campus grounds from one season to another. Our Grounds team cleans and puts into storage all winter equipment—and brings out battery-powered riding lawn mowers, line trimmers and tractors. 

These tools are needed to perform key maintenance in early spring such as trimming vines and trees while they are still dormant and aerating the grass. This allows more water to penetrate the soil, which activates growth of plants and trees.

6. We toil in the soil

Spring is a particularly busy season for our Grounds team, with a wide variety of activities to perform. We till the soil in the gardens and prepare for annual flowers.

We turn on the automatic centralized irrigation system. We check the cisterns—the rainwater collection basins—and clean and/or drain them as needed. Areas with heavy salt accumulation from the winter are power washed.

We fertilize the soil typically twice a year, depending on how much salt was used over the winter.

We begin to cut the grass, typically weekly, depending on weather conditions and outdoor events. The grass clippings are mulched—directing the nutrients back into the soil.

7. We prepare for convocation

We take immense pride in ensuring the St. George campus is at its best for convocation in June—an important event for students, faculty and staff. 

The Grounds team prepares campus for this important event with meticulous landscaping and planting brightly-coloured flowers, and the Caretaking team ensures our facility interiors, including Convocation Hall are in an immaculate state. 

In addition to convocation, we help colleges and departments at the St. George campus run their local celebrations. Our teams do walk-throughs to accommodate special requests, such as performing detailed cleaning of the floors and windows. 

Happy Spring to one and all! Learn more about the services F&S provides.

Note: This article was originally published in 2022 and has been updated with contemporary information.