 |
| Window washer Larry Newbern pauses in view of City Hall, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Philadelphia. | |
 |
| Jason Kubla from Class Glass is part of a two-man team which cleans the hospital tower windows every six months. At this point, he is hanging outside the third floor. Harrison County. |
Washing Windows for profit: It didn’t take Koron Mays too long to figure out that he could make a lot more money washing windows than he could as a medical assistant. “I went from $13.50 an hour to about $79 an hour,” said Mays, who now owns
Koron’s Professional Window Cleaning and Power Washing. Of course, the window washing business is a bit more sporadic and physically demanding but Mays is okay with that. He figures if he provides excellent service he’ll get more jobs and he doesn’t mind the work. “It’s a matter of getting more accounts,” Mays said. “I’d like to keep growing and eventually be able to add some employees.” He’s now in the middle of his busiest season – summer and early fall – and hopes he can establish himself more solidly in the mid-valley. Mays, who started washing windows in Jefferson in 2009, briefly moved his business to Sandy and even did turns in Las Vegas and Florida. Those weren’t the places he wanted to be, however. “My arrangements for an office building didn’t work out and I was happy to come back to the mid-valley,” he said. Although he maintains some clients farther north, Mays does most of his business in and around Albany. “I haven’t been back very long but it has worked out,” he said. “I’ve got around 80 customers.”
Not surprisingly, the bulk of his business revolves around washing windows – all sizes and shapes – but he also offers power washing of decks, driveways and home exteriors. Glass restoration service for windows with hard water or rust stains is another service. Residential customers are his bread-and-butter. He says it takes about an hour and a half to clean the windows in most homes. He will also do windows in commerical buildings. He does it with an emphasis on being green. Koron says he has made an effort to use cleaning products that are all environmentally friendly. Mays has called the mid-valley home most of his life. He had studied to become a medical assistant before opting for the possibility of a career and, of course, more money. He has put just as much effort into his new profession as he did in studying as a medical assistant. He said both jobs are detail oriented and he has taken that skill from his old line of work.
Mays keeps up on the latest technology and techniques. Most important to him is customer service. “I’m not trying to get the job done as quick as I can and move on,” he said. “I want it to be done right. I want the call back.” Mays is confident enough in his work to offer a money-back guarantee for customers. “If the customer isn’t satisfied then they don’t pay,” he said. Flexiblity is a big part of his business. Everything is by appointment but he is open every day except Sundays. He will adjust hours to fit the customer’s schedule as best he can. Currently his only employee is his son Cole. He’s hoping to add more if the business takes off like he expects. “I want to make this my life’s work,” he said. “I’d like to be able to build it to the point I can leave it to someone when I retire.”
Window cleaner plans party night for Sheffield charity: Window cleaner Allan Gee is marking his 65th birthday in style - with a party in aid of a South Yorkshire children’s hospice. The former DJ, of Dronfield, is planning to party Sixties style, as well as raising money for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospital in North Anston, near Sheffield, at the same time. He has booked The Small Fakers, a tribute act to 60s favourites the Small Faces out of his own pocket to appear and now wants to raise as much cash as possible for the charity. Allan, who has fostered seven children with his wife Pat, alongside raising their own family, said: “With my 65th birthday coming up I wanted to do something special. “I’ve seen the Small Fakers eleven times and they’re brilliant. They’ve built up quite a following and I’m hoping that by selling tickets to see them we can celebrate and raise money for a good cause.” The event takes place on Friday, October 19, at Dronfield Contact Club - which has waived its usual hire charge for the party. Sarah Champion, Bluebell Wood chief executive, said: “This promises to be a fabulous evening and a great fundraiser for Bluebell Wood. “It is only through the support that we receive from the community and people such as Allan that we can continue giving the vital support to children in our region who will not reach adulthood.” There will also be a raffle on the night with prizes including a surround sound speaker system, and a vintage bottle of port.
Pete Kosednar, a Scottsdale window-cleaner and blogger, pulled out his video camera this morning when he saw a hiker walk by on Camelback Mountain with her dog unleashed. Then, he says -- and as the video below appears to show -- he simply reminded the woman that her dog was supposed to be on a leash. The woman's mini-Cocker Spaniel isn't much of a threat, but Kosednar's warning -- and camera -- seem to bring out the woman's inner pit bull. The hiker struts over to Kosednar, appears to give him a shove, tells him to stop taping her, then curses at him as she walks away. Kosednar says the video shows evidence of an assault. A couple of Phoenix cops took Kosednar's statement on the incident, but "they didn't do anything," he says. The law requires dogs to be on a leash at all times in public places in Phoenix, including at mountain parks like Camelback Mountain. Video
here.
The International Window Cleaning Associations
latest magazine is now available to read on line: In addition to the IWCA, there are numerous associations and other resources that will help you as you are growing your window cleaning business. In the following
link are just a few of the groups that window cleaners such as yourselves have utilized in answering questions and to gain other industry knowledge. IWCA does not endorse any of these groups but lists them here for your reference. The International Window Cleaning Association was formed by a group of window cleaners in the late 80s in an effort to promote safety and education as well as to enhance professionalism throughout the industry. Each year, IWCA holds an annual convention and trade show for professionals working in all facets of the window cleaning industry, from high-rise and route/residential window cleaners to those who manufacture goods and services for window cleaning. Additionally, the association offers four regional safety trainings per year to give companies the opportunity to have their employees professionally safety training in order to stay safe.
October Window Cleaning magazine is a new digital magazine that brings you information and news articles aimed at the professional window cleaner. Each issue we take a look at various topics that affect window cleaners and their business. We also take a look at new window cleaning products, and review some of the latest equipment being made available. There are tips and advice on how to run a successful window cleaning business, plus information that will help you find new customers, new commercial contracts and build a sustainable and recession proof business. Whether you use water fed pole systems or traditional window cleaning methods Window Cleaning Magazine caters for everyone.
This edition features Willie Erkin of Wagtail window cleaning tools!
Your issue of Tomorrow’s Cleaning is available now. Just click on the front cover to get reading. This month, we’ve been thinking a lot about the state of our hospitals in the UK. Cleanliness should always be a priority, so we have looked at a number of pieces relating to Healthcare & Hospital Hygiene, which I hope you will all find to be interesting reads. As the new school year is also in full swing, we’ve also tried to remind you that you are never too old to learn something new and that cleaning and hygiene is an area that is constantly evolving, so we have provided some fantastic Training & Education updates. And finally, because our floors take a beating in the winter weather, we have the latest innovation and advice in the Scrubber Dryer sector. With all that, plus special features, the latest news and products, our regular columnists and an industry insider answering the Tomorrow's Cleaning 10 Questions, we hope you'll find plenty of things in this issue to enjoy.
Father Creates Tribute Web Site in Memory of Son Who Apparently Drowned: Kenny Austin's son, Frank Daniel, 34, went missing in Dana Point while possibly swimming over Labor Day. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department found his body floating off the coast of Monarch Beach Sept. 8. Kenny Austin says he may not make it to his son's funeral in California next week, but he has created a web site in his memory. Austin of Rowlnad Heights went swimming with a underwater camera at Salt Creek Beach, authorities reported. Lifeguards searched for him for several days, but there was no sign of him, and the search and rescue operation was eventually called off. One way he plans to remember his son is via the window cleaning services business web site that he created a few months ago. "I had this cartoon made for Frank when he said he was going to buy a three wheel bike to do business," he said. "He saw it and loved it. I recently added it to the site. I took down all the business information, but decided to leave the web site up as a tribute to him." I think it lets people know how he really started out."
Austin said his son lost his driver's license because when he was a young boy he was involved in car accident. "He wasn't wearing his seatblet and went throught he windshiled," he said. "As a result, he had seizures and couldn't drive a car." Austin said he had 1,000 fliers made with the above cartoon on it, and his son used them as business cards. "I just found a postal receipt of a package I mailed to his P.O. Box on Sept. 3," he said. "In this package was a lot of free promotional give-away things with his business details written on them, which I made for him. Things like key chains, and pin-back buttons to help him in his business." Registered in Kenny Austin's name, the father said he made both of these web sites below to help his son’s business.
The two web sites will remain active, Austin said.
Scrubbing skyscrapers help avoid climate armageddon: What happens in the year 2050, when 40 years of incrementally more polluted air makes it impossible to breathe outside? No one knows for certain, but a group of architects, developers, engineers and scientists have gotten together to address the problem, since it's now clear that – even if air pollution were halted tomorrow – it's still going to take humans several generations to clean up the mess and restore the Pale Blue Dot to its former condition. Taking first place in the 2009 eVolo Skyscraper Competition, one possible solution to tomorrow's pollution looks more and more like a Neo Arc, a futuristic city whose function is to filter the air and water to create a safe-living envelope not only for humans, but for animals and plants as well. It does this via a shell of green plants – much like a living wall – that act to filter rainwater, absorb excess carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere.
Neo Arc, the city of the future, is all sharp angles and unimagined planes, forbidding to look at but equipped with various kinds and levels of water filtration that also serve to produce hydrogen to replace long-depleted reserves of fossil fuels. This hydrogen is then used to operate Neo Arc's transportation system. Other sources of energy include solar panels, and the vast caverns of stored water might even be used to produce wave or tidal energy. In fact, it is this integration of green technologies like living walls which leads to Neo Arc becoming a "lung" for the imaginary city, which also filters acid rain water via thin-film photovoltaics and UV lighting. Finally, the thermal mass of the structure, and its deformed masses, provide both insulation and shade for inhabitants.
Designers Kyu Ho Chun, Kenta Fukunishi and JaeYoung Lee from the United States offer their Neo Arc city, which is built from a continuous surface confined in triangular shapes that operate synergistically with the city's program, as a recipe for tomorrow's city builders. This program includes not only the aforementioned residential and commercial areas, the transportation system and a water reservoir, but a sky pool, a sports arena and many public green spaces, or parks. Neo Arc also has levels of living intensity, from commercial through cultural and into residential, these latter the most private places where humans go to interact with their ecosphere at the end of a working day.
All Access Equipment has been named as the exclusive North American distributor for Italy-based CMC SRL. Under the agreement All Access Equipment, based in Massachusetts, USA will supply narrow access, crawler-mounted, self-propelled platforms under the brand name Crawlerlifts. Designed for demanding industrial settings, the heavy-duty Crawlerlift can travel through 36 inch doorways, and according to All Access Equipment, its new, simple controls improve on previous versions of this type of equipment. Typical applications include tree services, window cleaning, utility maintenance, roofing and rental storage. Crawlerlifts are available in 50 to 105 feet working height. “The Crawler 78 model is particularly well suited for heavy duty usage, dirty environment applications, such as tree services and construction. With 79 feet of working height and 44 feet side reach, it is still capable of entering 36” doors/gates, climbing stairs, climbing steep slopes and set up in minutes in the most difficult locations,” said a company spokesman.
Opening the only bid for cleaning the common areas in the newly renovated Teton County Courthouse Annex, located in the former county shop south of the courthouse in Choteau. Big Sky Maintenance, a new company operated by Lyle and Terria Arps of Choteau, submitted the only bid, proposing to clean the common areas once a week on Tuesday evenings for $40 per week. This contract would apply to hallways, bathrooms and the meeting room. Office holders in the building would be responsible for cleaning their own spaces. The contract would also provide for carpet cleaning twice a year and regular window cleaning. The commissioners at their Sept. 20 meeting awarded the contract to Big Sky Maintenance.
Man was unable to leave his ex alone: A family man who could not cope with the end of his relationship bombarded his former partner with messages on Facebook, a court heard. Father-of-four John Hopps begged his ex-girlfriend to take him back and said he would never be able to cope with her being with anyone else. In one message on the social networking website, the window cleaner, 32, said: “I love you. Being without you is the worst time of my life.”
Teesside Crown Court heard that in July, this year, Hopps’ former partner was granted a court order to stop him harassing or contacting her. But within a month, he had breached the conditions twice with Facebook messages and by driving past her mother’s home. His barrister, Kieran Rainey, told Judge Simon Bourne-Arton that he has now come to accept that the relationship is over. Mr Rainey said: “Under the terms of the order, he did not realise that he should not have sent the rather sad begging letters that he did. “This is essentially a relationship that has come to a juddering end, very sadly so because there are four children involved. “It is simply now a case of finding a way to allow this family to work together.” Hopps, of Denmark Street, Darlington, admitted two breaches of a non-molestation order and was given a community order with unpaid work.
Spectrum Window Cleaning, One of London’s leading commercial window cleaning companies, today announced added capability to their high rise abseiling window cleaning division. The increase in investments further strengthens Spectrums ability to challenge the established commercial cleaning contractors in London. Spectrum’s new investment allows them to push the limits with reach and wash technology allowing them to access a height of 92 feet, and the ability of cleaning windows 8 floors from the ground. This latest announcement is hot on the heels of recent announcements by the company on acquiring a dead weight trolley system. Reach and wash technology especially customized by Spectrum firmly places the business alongside a handful of leading companies in London that can offer such high reach. The other practical benefit to customers and facilities managers is that window cleaners are specially trained in the use of the technology. Specialist training ensures that windows and building features are not damaged a key differentiator as the tools are placed in the hands of expert personnel who ensure that works are carried out in an efficient and least disruptive manner.
Average day in Dubai caught on film by BBC: DUBAI - A personal shopper to the rich and famous and the people who keep the Middle East's first metro on track are among those featured in a BBC documentary spanning 24 hours in Dubai. The programme airs this weekend as part of the One Day In series, which features 12 cities worldwide including London and Mumbai. "Dubai is capitalism at breakneck speed," says the programme's narrator. "The city has an attitude that anything is possible." The show opens with a morning view of the city's distinctive skyline and the start of the working day for the Burj Al Arab's team of window cleaners, before describing the emirate as the "centre of luxury living in the world". Viewers then meet lifestyle consultant Derek Khan as he spends US$1 million (Dh3.67m) - given to him by one of India's richest men - on clothes and jewellery.
Unlicensed window cleaners in Dunblane: On Wednesday 26th September 2012 , during a joint operation with Dunblane community policing team and Stirling Council 2 males were traced operating as window cleaners in the Dunblane area. They have been charged accordingly and will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal at Stirling. The above Operation was designed to target bogus workmen and people who target the elderly and vunerable, persons who operate without the relevant licence have not vetted as one of the criteria for getting a licence is a background check is made. I would ask that if persons come to your door asking to sell items, clean windows or anything similar , please ask to see their ID and relevant licence.
Two friends go Stateside for Tough Mudder: Two friends who met at an Irvine church are set to go Stateside to compete in oneof the World’s toughest fitness contests. Joe Kelso, 26, and Grant Cameron, 30, have been selected for the Tough Mudder, New Jersey after meeting at Irvine’s Bridge Church. Joe and Grant, originally from south Ayrshire, were selected after competing with friends in the Dumfries Tough Mudder in July. Now the pair will head to New Jersey for the American version of the fitness endurance course on Saturday, November 17. Joe, a window cleaner and professional boxer, has been training hard for the event. He said: “I’ll usually train for six days a week - in the morning and in the evening.
This sort of competition is right up my street and the British one was phenomenal, so I’m really excited to head over to America to see what their version is like. “Financing this event will be tough too, as with flights and accommodation included, we’relooking upwards of £2000 each.” The Tough Mudder competition involves squads of competitors tackling a 12-mile long assault course withbarbed wire and electric fences. Designed by members of the British Special Forces, it claims to be the toughest event on the planet. The funds raised at Tough Mudder go towards supporting Help for Heroes – a charity that aids the soldiers from the armed forces.
 |
| A long way down: a two-man, two-ladders drill during Hook ladder training. |
Hook Ladders: I came to London in 1972, after five years as a fireman in my native Yorkshire, and one of my first tasks was to master what, for me, was the biggest hurdle — hook ladders. These were so-called because of the curved bill at the top which clipped over window sills and enabled them to hang flush with the sides of buildings. Allan Grice recalls the time he had to rescue a working girl, 'Miss Correction' from a fire caused by a dissatisfied client. They were little used elsewhere, but in cities like London and Paris, where the hook ladders originated, they proved invaluable in narrow alleyways and closed courtyards inaccessible to any other type of ladder. By using two hook ladders and continually passing them above your head, one after the other, you could reach the hairiest of heights. On more than one occasion our station cook, Mary, would jump back in shock from the sink where she was peeling the spuds as we entered the canteen window head-first from hook ladders pitched from the High Street far below. With hook ladders, you had to get the transfer from one ladder to the other right because there were no safety nets. One slip and, as that famous Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah put it, you had a ‘half day out with the undertaker’. In later years, health-and-safety legislation would outlaw the use both of hook ladders and of real-life scenarios in practice drills, and more than a few would come to believe that we were worse off for these restrictions. In my day, if a senior officer arrived at a blaze and found crews directing a jet from the street when it was possible to get into the building and suppress the flames from within, they would feel his wrath, with shouts of ‘What’re yer doin’ — washing effing windows?’
False alarm sends firefighters to rescue window washer: Emergency crews rushed to rescue a window washer after someone reported he was stuck about 50 stories above the Loop this morning, but it turned out he didn't need any help, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Emergency crews were called to the high rise at 70 W. Madison St. at 11:45 a.m., according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Will Knight. Firefighters got to the scene and communicated with the worker, who said he was not in trouble, according to Knight, who initially said the worker had to be rescued. “He did not need assistance,’’ Knight said.
Angie's List: Get potential buyers in the door by spucing up the outside first: TAMPA - First impressions are everything, and that's no different for our homes. Having great curb appeal will add value to your home, whether it is on the market or you plan to stay forever. Your home’s interior is important when selling a home, but it’s the exterior that helps get potential buyers in the door. Angie's List founder Angie Hicks said, “Exterior home staging is a new phenomenon we are seeing on Angie’s List where companies will actually come out and be able to help you present your house in the best light, whether it's roof cleaning, help thinning out some landscaping - just really improving the curb appeal of your home.”
Curb appeal can make or break a deal. Some buyers may refuse to go inside a home if they do not like what they see on the outside. Real estate agent Mike Puckett has seen it first hand. “I had my house for sale and the people who bought my house actually said to me 'we were driving down the street and we saw your home and my wife said that’s the one I want!' without ever seeing the inside, that’s the one. It was because it was staged for my pleasure and for people in the neighborhood, but also to help sell the home.” Start with a clean house: The first step in achieving great curb appeal is to start with a clean house. Power-washing the exterior is a great way to remove any dirt, grime and moss that has accumulated. All of the windows should be clear and sparkling, and because some are hard to reach with a normal ladder, consider hiring a pro to help. Get into the gutters and the roof line to remove all dirt, leaves and branches.
Window cleaner stole from his customers: A burglar used his window cleaning round as a cover for breaking into people’s homes. In one of John Henson's raids he became involved in a violent struggle with a couple who returned home to find him searching their living room, Warwick Crown Court heard. The 28-year-old, of Wyken Croft, Coventry, pleaded guilty to four charges of burglary and asked for three more burglaries and three thefts to be taken into consideration. He was jailed for three years and order to serve an 18 week suspended sentence for a previous shoplifting offence. The court heard in one of the homes targeted by Henson on Armscott Road in Wyken Green in March the couple, both aged 69, tried to detain him, but he punched the woman before running off. Henson was arrested, but bailed after he denied any knowledge of the burglarly.
He went on to target homes on Ansley Road, Wyken; Newhall Road, Wyken Green; Lammerton Close, Wycliffe Road; North Street; Torcross Avenue and Tavistock Walk in the city. Henson, who had 30 convictions for theft, also stole an i-Phone from a shop in Avon Street after going there to sell the staff stolen make-up. Simon Hunka, defending, said the offences had been opportunistic by Henson, who had a drug problem, and his violence had been because he was scared and trying to get away. Recorder Richard Atkins QC told him: "If you commit offences like that you have to take the consequences."
Console and phone stolen: A Nintendo DS, an iPhone and some jewellery were stolen in a raid on a house in Fairburn. Burglars forced open a ground floor window to get into the property on Lunnfields Lane. The burglary happened on September 25 between 8.30am and 1.30pm. A police spokesman said a suspect was spotted looking into the window of the house at about the time of the burglary. He was challenged by a neighbour and claimed to be a window cleaner looking for work. He is described as a small build, 5’5” tall, with brown hair and black teeth. He was said to be wearing a green jacket, jeans and walking boots.
Window cleaner allegedly robs homes: Featured in this last week's Sheriff's Report are the burglaries of two homes in the Basin. A window cleaner is suspected of stealing an iPad and jewelry from the homes in which he was working. He denied the allegations when confronted by his employer, but has since failed to show up for work and has disconnected his phone. His employer plans to contact the homeowners concerning the stolen items.
Man guilty of repeated child sex attacks in the 1990s: A Glasgow man has been found guilty of a series of sex attacks on three children over 20 years ago. William Dennis, 46, was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow of raping a girl and two boys in the 1990's. The abuse began when all three were just two years old and continued for a number of years. The abuse was reported to police and Dennis was investigated in 1995 and 1996, but there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. It was only in 2010 after Dennis, a father of 13, of Cumbernauld Road, Glasgow, was questioned in relation to another matter that his three victims had the courage to come forward. Now aged 25, 23 and 22 they told how their childhoods were ruined by the abuse inflicted on them by Dennis. Advocate depute Sheena Fraser told the court: "The accused has a schedule of previous convictions." The court was told he works as a window cleaner. In evidence Dennis denied all the charges against him and claimed his three victims were part of a conspiracy against him.
Teen Girl Accused Of Trying To Kill Neighbor Boys With Toilet Cleaner Laced Brownies: An Australian teenage who is accused of trying to kill some neighbor boys with toilet cleaner brownies faces attempted murder charges. The Brisbane girl, 14, offered the homemade treats to a pair of brothers in an alleged attempt to kill the young men. She arrested and released on bail after being charged for attempting to pass off the toxic treats to the unnamed 12 and 13-year-old boys. During an interview with The Courier-Mail, the mother of the intended victim noted her sons only had a few bites before realizing the brownies did not taste right. The Australian mother had this to say during the interview: “They only had one bite, thank goodness. I’m just glad my younger one, who is 7, didn’t get given one. You could smell it … it was very strong.” The Australian newspaper also noted that the potentially deadly brownies were laced with both toilet and window cleaner.
Capital Safety relocates HQ to Bloomington from London: Capital Safety, a safety equipment company, announced Monday, Oct. 1, it is moving its world headquarters from London to offices in Bloomington. The move will shift about 12 workers to the Twin Cities area, and place them close to Capital Safety's primary manufacturing facility, which is located in Red Wing, company officials said. Its Red Wing plant employs about 450 people. Capital Safety manufacturers full-body harnesses, lifelines and other safety equipment, particularly for workers who have jobs in construction or who work in high places, such as window washers. "Moving the company's headquarters to Minnesota is a logical choice for us," Stephen Oswald, Capital Safety's CEO, said in a statement. "We already manufacture most of our products in the U.S., with the majority coming from our facility in Red Wing." Oswald added that "the new office will provide us with the flexibility and proximity we need to continue the successful global growth of our business."
The Oogieloves, a Guide: Watching the Biggest Box Office Fail of All Time: The Oogieloves live in a neat home featuring a talking window named, “Windy.” When prompted with the chant of “1 … 2 … 1 … 2 … 3, Windy Window what do you see?” the kindly pane offers a view of what’s outside. The movie’s great skill is bombarding us with obnoxiously repetitive, hooky songs that will override any important knowledge. I no longer know my mother-in-law’s birthday but I can hum “The Oogielove Dance.”
Sailors await resolution in prostitution scandal: Six months after members of the U.S. military and the Secret Service were embroiled in a prostitution scandal in Colombia, two Navy sailors have been stripped of their security clearances and pulled off their regular jobs, but they have yet to be charged. U.S. Southern Command says the investigation surrounding the two sailors is still going on, but a lawyer for one of the sailors says it shouldn't take this long to reach a decision. Charges were read against all the other military members allegedly involved two months ago. The lawyer is arguing that the sailor, David Hawley, was not around at the time that Secret Service and other members of the U.S. military were supposedly soliciting prostitutes in Cartagena. Hawley has been banished to washing windows and picking weeds at his command." The military would not confirm Monday what Hawley's duties are or where he is.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON, NORTH MAIN STREET: A Key bank employee reported about 8:15 a.m. October 4 there was a man in a parked van facing and staring at the rear entrance of Key Bank. Police checked it out and learned the man was an employee of a window washing company.
Competitive games highlight Custodial Appreciation Day: UW-Whitewater held its second Custodial Appreciation Day last week in the Hamilton Room of the University Center. Custodial employees played competitive games for prizes and recieved a free lunch. The event was part of the International Executive Housekeeper’s Appreciation Week, which celebrates custodial and janitorial workers across the country. Last year, the University Center and Residence Life hosted the event, but after a proposal this year, Facilities Planning and Management took over as host. “This is an opportunity to recognize the staff [and] tell them that they have done well and that we all appreciate what they do,” Custodial Services Supervisor Alan Goytowski said. During the week, thank you cards, as well as chocolate bars, were delivered to custodial employees on campus.
The hosts of the event took tasks that custodial and janitorial workers see on a day-to-day basis and turned them into fun, team-based games that employees enjoy. Games held during the Custodial Appreciation Day included window cleaning, a vacuum relay race and a toilet roll toss. The winners of each event were awarded key chains, T-shirts and other small prizes. The grand prize this year was a year-long membership to the Williams Center. All of the activities were held in the Hamilton Room in the University Center, and there was a large turnout as nearly two-thirds of the entire custodial staff attended the event. Jim Zink said the event expressed how grateful students and staff are for all the hard work the custodial staff puts in.
Buhl Pride Project Underway: (Buhl, Idaho) Volunteers including youth, parents, seniors, and area leaders participated in Buhl pride project today. It involved commercial window washing in the downtown business district between Broadway and Main Street. The project is to create a positive image that will enhance community pride and improve consumer and business owner confidence in Buhl’s downtown business district. "The project doesn't just go in the fall when we are cleaning windows and sweeping rocks but it also goes into later in the fall were we clean up leaves not only just downtown but the whole city” Larry Hall Coordinator, S.I.E.D.O. More than 60-businesses received free window washing and clean sidewalks.
