About

The Physical Facilities Department at Binghamton University operates, maintains, supports and protects the University’s buildings and grounds. Physical Facilities also works in partnership with many other departments to support and provide services for campus events and activities such as Orientation and Commencement.

The Binghamton campus is spread over 887 acres including a 190-acre nature preserve and wetland area with a six-acre pond. In addition to caring for these grounds, Physical Facilities provides maintenance, renovation and a wide array of other services to nearly 100 buildings (4.2 million square feet).

Background

The primary mission of Physical Facilities is to provide for the care and upkeep of University buildings and grounds. The department is funded to perform routine maintenance and minor repairs/replacements in kind. This includes providing corrective and preventative maintenance and repair services to help ensure an efficient and functional environment for the administrative, academic and residential communities on campus.

Repair and maintenance of a building’s infrastructure is generally not chargeable to the requesting state supported department.

Remodeling, changes, alterations, upgrades, additions to building infrastructure, special painting, and repair of departmental equipment and furnishings are generally chargeable to the requesting department. Also, modifications to utility systems to accommodate new or relocated equipment is chargeable.

Rules and Regulations

All modifications to Binghamton University facilities, regardless of complexity, must meet Title 9, "Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (NYCRR)"- the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. Any modification, alteration or addition to Binghamton University physical facilities, environs or grounds (regardless of funding source), must be performed by the Physical Facilities department, under its direct supervision or with review and approval of Physical Facilities if performed by a licensed contractor (who must pay prevailing wage). Inspection by the campus building inspector will be required depending on the scope of the project.

Physical Facilities Organization

Physical Facilities has more than 400 full time and part-time staff. The department consists of the following sub-units: Operations, Design, Construction, Long Term Planning, Business Affairs and Administration.

Operations

Operations is responsible for the day-to-day functioning and routine maintenance of buildings, building systems, grounds and utilities.

The Operations team consists of the following:

• Custodians
• Trades (carpentry, electrical, masonry, plumbing, and painting)
• Grounds
• Garage
• HVAC field crews
• Refrigeration
• Central Heating Plant
• Customer Service Center
• Expediting
• Lock Shop
• Sign Shop
• Upholstery Shop

Design

The Design team is responsible for the design of department-funded projects. The Design includes:

• Architects
• Engineers
• Designers
• CAD Operators
• Administrative Support staff

Long Term Planning

Long Term Planning facilitates capital project planning and finance management for campus capital funds. This includes initiation of capital projects, program studies and design through construction.

Campus maps and drawings are maintained and updated by Long Term Planning.

Physical Facilities Business Affairs

• Manages billing, purchasing, resource management, utility, energy and departmental budgets. This involves interaction with and reconciliation of Oracle, FAMIS (Facilities Administration and Maintenance Information System), Quickbooks Pro and SUNY-Central databases.
• Business Affairs also facilitates interface with the campus Business Office and campus wide business system (Oracle).
• Business Affairs also coordinates the hiring and evaluation processes for civil service and professional employees, serves as the primary contact for newly hired employees and assists in coordination of the summer student hiring program and the workforce development program.
• Manages Campus Mail Services which employs 8 full-time and 8 part-time employees, providing mail services for more than 5,300 students residing on campus and 200 off-campus students having campus mailboxes. More than 150 pickup and drop points are served both on and off campus. The graph in Appendix A shows the breakdown of constituents served by CMS.

Administration

Physical Facilities Information Technology, Communications and Administrative Support are all a part of Administrative Services.

Individuals support the department by coordinating and managing the following:

• Information Technology (IT) provides support for computer hardware and software as well as data management for a wide range of departmental needs. IT also maintains the Physical Facilities server and addresses technology problems as they arise.
• Communications Specialist coordinates information and announcements regarding departmental and Capital construction activities through a variety of communication tools including a listserv, Inside, Dateline, B-line and Binghamton University and Physical Facilities website. The Communications Specialist manages media requests regarding the department, produces a quarterly departmental newsletter, oversees content of departmental website and assists in the development of documents describing department operations and capital planning efforts.
• Administrative Support includes administrative assistants, secretaries and keyboard specialists who play a vital role in scheduling meetings, maintaining filing systems, managing office supplies as well as supporting key departmental events.

There is perhaps no other department at Binghamton University that plays such a comprehensive role in the life of the University. The current Capital Plan, growth in enrollment and research continues to provide a challenging and quickly changing work environment for the more than 400 Physical Facilities employees. Physical Facilities endeavors to meet these challenges with creativity, professionalism and excellence.

Physical Facilities strives to be proactive in sharing information about all the construction and renovation now under way and planned. If you have a question about the department or about any of the construction and renovation activity, please call 777-2692.