The $4.5 Million Window Cleaning Job

Workers refurbish the panes of glass on the roof of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Wednesday. The church, formerly known as Crystal Cathedral, is under going a year-long rehab that includes replaces the moulding between the glass and adding a new coating to the outside. The interior is also being completely remodeled.

What it takes to clean and repair Christ Cathedral's 10,000 glass panes (Garden Grove, Orange County, California): – A $4.5 million project to repair Christ Cathedral’s 10,000 glass window panes started Wednesday, a year-long effort that must happen before construction on the interior – to make the church more traditionally Catholic – can begin. The project is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s renovation of the 78,000-square-foot, all-glass structure previously known as the Crystal Cathedral and made famous by the late Rev. Robert Schuller, who died last year.

“It’s the first major visible step,” said Ryan Lilyengren, spokesman for the diocese, which is now headquartered at the 35-acre campus. “People will be excited about it.” A 15-story, 300-ton crane was brought in to do the work. On Tuesday, a three-man crew rode the crane’s bucket to the northeast slope of the cathedral to plan how they should approach the repairs. “We’re excited to finally get this thing started,” Mike Prestridge, vice president of contractor Century Building Solutions, said about working on the iconic building. “This is a thrill for us.”

Christ Cathedral’s 10,000 glass window panes started Wednesday, a year-long effort.

The workers will replace broken panes. But for most, they will clean the glass and use silicone caulking on the seals and metal frames, called mullion, to bolster “the structural integrity,” Prestridge said. The initial estimate, he said, calls for six panes to be repaired per person, per day. Within three to four weeks, additional lifts will arrive to repair the frames on the sides of the building. “Once it’s ramped up, up to 12 people will be working, not counting the crane operators,” Prestridge said.

After the frames are reinforced, the windows will get a special coating to make them shine brighter. “It still shines, but it’s more than 30 years old,” Lilyengren said of the former Crystal Cathedral, completed in 1981. “This will make it even brighter.” Since buying the campus for $57.5 million in 2012, the diocese has invested heavily in upgrades, spending $6.1 million to renovate the 13-story Tower of Hope and $2 million to repair the 16,000-pipe Hazel Wright Organ, which is about 90 percent complete.

The diocese could end up spending $113 million total to renovate the entire campus. Included in that is a $29 million allocation for renovating the main cathedral building, though it will likely cost more than that, Lilyengren said. Many of the cathedral renovations center on transforming the inside into a more traditionally Catholic place of worship.

Also, the interior of the 10,000 window panes will be accentuated with white panels, called petals, that will open at varying degrees and create shade; the petals will help keep the cathedral cool, as well as reduce the lighting – giving it a more somber feel. The petals will also have lights facing outward, creating an effect the design committee calls the Box of Stars, and making the cathedral more visible at night.

Lilyengren said the interior construction, which will take about 20 months, should be done by late 2018. But starting the work will wait until the panes that make up the cathedral’s large arched roof are repaired. “There was a lot of deferred maintenance,” Lilyengren said. “The building is not sealed, so the roof does leak.”

Window Cleaning Jobs On Mars

Window cleaning jobs on Mars - could become a reality with glass already present.

Glass Deposits on Mars Provide Window Into Ancient Signs of Life: In a pioneering feat, researchers have discovered glass deposits on the Red Planet, providing a delicate window into the possibility of ancient life on the Red Planet. Using data from Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), the team from Brown University detected deposits of glass within impact craters on Mars formed in the searing heat of a violent impact.

Previous research has shown that ancient biosignatures can be preserved in impact glass. "Knowing this, we wanted to go look for them on Mars and that is what we did here. Before this paper, no one had been able to definitively detect them on the Martian surface," said Kevin Cannon, PhD student at Brown University.

Cannon and co-author professor Jack Mustard showed that large glass deposits are present in several ancient yet well-preserved craters scattered across the Martian surface. These glass deposits are relatively common impact features on Mars and could be targets for future exploration. To identify minerals and rock types remotely, scientists measure the spectra of light reflected off the planet's surface.

Researchers have found deposits of impact glass preserved in Martian craters like Alga (above) using data from NASA's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM). Green indicates the presence of glass. (Blues are pyroxene; reds are olivine.) 

But impact glass does not have a particularly strong spectral signal. "Glasses tend to be spectrally bland or weakly expressive, so signatures from the glass tend to be overwhelmed by the chunks of rock mixed in with it. But Kevin found a way to tease that signal out," Mustard said.

In the lab, Kevin mixed together powders with a similar composition of Martian rocks and fired them in an oven to form glass and measured the spectral signal from that glass. Once he had the signal from the lab glass, he used an algorithm designed to pick out similar signals in data from Nasa's MRO. The technique was able to pinpoint deposits around several crater central peaks.

The fact that the deposits were found on central peaks is a good indicator that they have an impact origin. Knowing that impact glass can preserve ancient signs of life opens a potential new strategy in the search for ancient Martian life. "We think these could be interesting targets for future exploration. In fact, we have a particular spot in mind," the authors said.

Human Settlement on Mars: Mars One is a not for profit foundation with the goal of establishing a permanent human settlement on Mars. To prepare for this settlement the first unmanned mission is scheduled to depart in 2020. Crews will depart for their one-way journey to Mars starting in 2026; subsequent crews will depart every 26 months after the initial crew has left for Mars. Mars One is a global initiative aiming to make this everyone's mission to Mars, including yours. Join Mars One’s efforts to enable the next giant leap for mankind.

YMCA Window Washers & How To Sparkle On The Job

One way to get experience in the job market is with hands-on experience. Shelby Marse, 19, of Montgomery, washes windows at B's Auto Parts in Newburgh on Friday. She works for a window-washing franchise that's part of the YWCA of Orange County's program to teach nontraditional job skills to women.

Group trains women for jobs - YWCA helps promote trades that pay more (New Windsor). Shelby Marse sees window washing as a way to a better life. The 19-year-old Montgomery woman has been working since July for a Fish Window Cleaning franchise operated by the YWCA of Orange County. The business is part of the organization's efforts to provide workforce opportunities that may lead to higher-paying jobs than those traditionally open to women without college degrees. “A young woman who doesn't pursue higher education goes into child care, health care for $8 to $9 an hour,” said Christine Sadowski, YWCA executive director, “while a young man goes into skilled labor” and earns much more. The employment path, she said, starts when girls baby-sit while their brothers mow lawns. “Some women are unhappy in those jobs,” Sadowski said. “And we want to show them that there are other possibilities.”

On-the-job learning: Marse is thinking she might like to run her own business someday. In the meantime, she said, she's learning new skills washing windows, as well as making more money than she earned in a supermarket bakery. “I'm working with the public more than I did before,” Marse said, “so I've learned about customer service: dealing with very nice people, aggravated people, all different sorts.” She pointed out the five windows and the doors she'd be washing at a restaurant on Route 32.

“I love it because I'm independent,” she said. “I make my own hours. The more (window) jobs you have, the more money you make, so you want to get as many jobs as possible.”

Targeting single mothers: The YWCA has also begun a free eight-week program funded by the United Way that offers discussions about skilled trades that women might consider. It includes an introduction to using hand tools and working from ladders. Volunteer guest speakers include women already engaged in nontraditional jobs and labor-union representatives. One class is now held at the YWCA office at 484 Temple Hill Road. It may expand to different locales, depending on demand.

A key group that the program aims to reach are low-income, single mothers. “They can't take four, six years to get a career,” while a paid apprenticeship might work for some, said Danielle Marse-Kapr, coordinator of the workforce program and Shelby Marse's sister. The YWCA, she said, wants to make women more aware that there are options available to them. “Either they don't realize it,” Sadowski said, “or don't know how to go about it, or that they don't feel comfortable, but by and large these are not jobs we put before women as career choices.”

How to sparkle on the job: You've probably seen the dude in downtown Raleigh, single-mindedly and unobtrusively doing his duty. On the other hand, maybe you haven't seen him because you, like most others, look right through him the same way you look through the window he is washing. On a recent afternoon, my buddy Blind and I sat outside sipping coffee and marveling - yes, marveling - at the attention to detail the man was exhibiting while washing the windows at the Morning Times coffee shop. After he'd made them appear flawless to the average eye, he did something unimaginable in today's society, which rewards mediocrity and slipshoddiness: He washed them again. Only then did he step back to admire his handiwork. It's impossible to imagine Michelangelo feeling any more pride after finishing his 16th chapel than showed in window washer Kevin Spencer's face after he'd finished that window.

Satisfied at last with the window's luminosity, he sheathed his squeegee and prepared to climb onto his mountain bike. "Say, homes. You got a minute?" I asked Spencer before he pedaled away. During the course of our conversation, I learned that Spencer, 59, uses the unlikely pulpit provided by cleaning windows to "introduce people to my love of the Lord." He is also, at times, a one-man employment agency. You know those dudes you see shuffling around downtown, hummin' and bummin' all the live-long day for spare change? Spencer said he sometimes gives it to them when they ask, but more likely will suggest where they can get a job.

Honorable work though it is, does anyone grow up with the goal of cleaning dead bugs off windows? Spencer didn't. In a life that has had as many twists and turns as he uses when scrubbing the squeegee across dirty windows, Spencer went to college to become an engineer. "I hated washing windows" as child, he said. "My mother was always trying to get me to wash the windows. I'd do anything to avoid it." When he started washing them for a living, he said, "I called my mother and told her. She couldn't stop laughing."

He got into the business in 1984 when he met a man in Chicago. "He was in the ministry, and he told me he had a business. He asked me if I had $20. I said 'yes.' He said 'You're in business, too.'" Spencer said he bought a squeegee and a bucket and the minister gave him a list of 20 stores that needed their windows cleaned. He said he has cleaned windows in Chicago, for the Baltimore Public Schools system and at the Pentagon, among other places. He now has clients all over Raleigh, in Cary and Wake Forest.

Greg Hatem, who owns the Morning Times building and several other downtown buildings that benefit from Spencer's work, said Spencer has been working for him a long time. "He's great," Hatem says. "Not only does he do a great job, but he has such positive energy. He's one of those people that makes you feel better after you see him." Spencer is divorced. So how, I ask, do the honeys respond when he tells them what he does for a living? "I tell them I'm self-employed. I'll take 'em out to dinner to one of the restaurants where I clean the windows," and in the course of the meal mentions his association with the place. Some, he said, are ready to split immediately, while others are impressed with his initiative. Still others, he said, ask if they can wash windows with him. Men: That's when you know you've got a keeper - when she offers to join you cleaning dead bugs and grime off windows.

There is another notable downtown squeegee-wielder threatening Spencer's livelihood, possibly undercutting his fee. Is Spencer worried, I ask? Nah. "He's not a nice guy. Even if he gets the job one time, they don't want him back. He's not friendly. I'm very friendly. Attitude," the window-washing sage concluded, "has a lot to do with everything you do." I'll bet Michelangelo felt the same when he finished the Sistine Chapel. So should we all.

How To Get My Job: High-Rise Window Cleaner

Do they hum the Spider-Man theme song all day? Probably!

How to get my job - High-rise window cleaner (By Thorin Klosowski): We've always been fascinated with risky jobs, but there are few in the world more insane to anyone with a fear of heights than a high-rise window washer. There is no amount of money you could pay us to rappel off of a giant glass building. Thankfully for people who live and work in those buildings, there are workers with the balls to do it, which is why we reached out to Reflection Windows & A Premier Services LLC to have a few of their employees answer some questions for us this week.

Tell us a little about your histories as window cleaners.

Nate Carr (owner): After working in a corporate setting for many years I just couldn't take it any longer. An acquaintance turned me on to window cleaning, and within a month I was sold. When the amount of work got to be too much, I had to hire on service techs to assist me in the cleaning of houses and large office buildings, and here we are today.

Mr. Garcia: I started cleaning windows after working at a construction site, where I saw Nate cleaning windows on a house. At that time we were cleaning anything from houses to large buildings.

Chris Trujillo: I've been a window cleaner for five years. I started off working for a maintenance cleaning company, but I ran out of places to go there so I pursued an opportunity with Reflection Windows, where I'm now going on my third year.

Why did you start working in the industry?

NC: Two benefits of this profession are working outside and freedom. What else do you want in life?

CT: I started in this industry for its job security, and it became more than that to me. I enjoy the personal satisfaction I get at the end of each day when I see the finished projects.

How would you recommend someone get started in your field? What type of person is best suited for hanging off the side of a building?
MG: Make sure that you are healthy, in shape and have an open mind. Of course, it's also someone who is not afraid of heights and can be safe.

NC: I'd also recommend you should go into it with an open mind, because more than likely, it's not going to be what you expect. It's much harder than most people think. It might be a surprise, but customer service and satisfaction is key in this industry. A person best suited for high-rise would have to be one that isn't afraid of heights and who is very safety oriented.

Can you describe an average day?
CT: It's hard to say what an average day would be, because we have so many different types of jobs. From route work, which is cleaning store fronts/retail jobs, to high-rise, which is chair work/stage work, and residential, where we service individual residences.
 

What's the best part of the job?
MG: I enjoy seeing a completed job. No one bothers you 200 feet up in the air, and it's peaceful with a beautiful view.

CT: One of the best parts about my job would have to be the fact that every day is different and I get to be outside each and every day.

You think you have what it takes to hang off a building in a swing?

What's the worst part?
NC: The worst part of the job is when instructions are not followed, as it pertains to either schedules not getting completed because of weather conditions or individuals that do not follow company policy, which results in reprimand or suspension. Communication is an important key in this industry, and if for whatever reason instructions are not followed, it really frustrates me to issue warnings and/or terminations.

CT: The worst part about my job would have to be the weather, because if it's too windy we have to move out of the wind and if it's too cold or too hot it makes it more challenging to safely and effectively clean the glass.

MG: I have found that ensuring safety from the time we leave the shop to the time we return can sometimes be difficult. We have a lot of guys, so ensuring their safety can be challenging.
 

How about the biggest misconception?
MG: That I don't care about anything and that we are not responsible for the jobs. People think it is easy and the labor is unskilled. Not true.

NC: I agree - the biggest misconception is that the window cleaning industry is full of unskilled workers and it's an easy job. These guys dedicate their lives to this profession and truly possess a skill that not just everyone can do. It takes a real unique type of person to do what we do, someone who cares about the well-being of everyone on the crew, someone who is passionate, and someone who can think quickly to overcome any obstacles or challenges that may be set forth on any given day. Those that are in this industry know the time and skill needed to do the job right the first time -- without any accidents. Many people think we are renegades with a death wish. Not true. We all want to go home to our families at night.

CT: The biggest misconception to me would be that people think cleaning a window is more of a simple task than an art. The high-rise chair work is more like rock climbing, not just dangling from a rope!