PPD - PPD News Lowe Family Garden

PEDER WINKEL AND HIS SON PEDER WINKEL HONORED AT HSC

Peder Winkel and his son, Peder Winkel were both honored at the HSC Service Pen ceremony. MORE>>

LACY C RABON JR CHILLED WATER PLANT DEDICATION

Friends and family of Lacy Rabon gathered at Building 473 on the UF Campus on May 23rd to dedicate Heat Plant #2 as the Lacy C. Rabon, Jr. Chilled Water Plant. Dave O’Brien welcomed Lacy’s widow, Jenny Rabon, and their two daughters, Lynn Patton and Gayle Kozinski to share in the occasion. In his opening remarks, O’Brien gave a little history about Rabon. He started working at PPD in 1962 and spent 45 years working in and leading the Building Steam, HVAC, Chilled Water Plants, Steam Distribution and Controls & Alarms shops. MORE>>

XERISCAPING

Physical Plant's Grounds Department is constantly searching for ways to reduce the amount of water necessary to irrigate the thousands of plants on campus. To that end, Grounds employs a strategy called xeriscaping to help cut down on water usage. MORE>>

RECYCLEMANIA COMPETITION

The University of Florida, along with more than 400 other institutions of higher learning across the nation, is participating in the 2008 RecycleMania competition. RecycleMania is a yearly competition which began in 2001, and aims to provide “friendly competition among college and university recycling programs in the United States that provides the campus community with a fun, proactive activity in waste reduction”, according to their website. UF’s involvement in the competition is being spearheaded by the UF Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Physical Plant’s Solid Waste Management Office, the O’Connell Center, Gator Dining, Inter-Residence Hall Association, and other campus organizations. MORE>>

GREEN CLEANING AT BUILDING SERVICES

As part of Physical Plant's continuing commitment to the University of Florida and President Bernie Machen's vision of a sustainable campus, PPD Building Services has established environmentally-friendly policies for their cleaning products and services. The new initiative is called Green Cleaning, and it is beneficial both to the environment and to the customers which Building Services serves. MORE>>

LOWE GARDEN

The former site of Johnson Hall, which burned to the ground in 1987, is now home to a beautiful outdoor garden space named the Lowe Family Garden. The garden, located directly west of Dauer Hall, is the result of a PPD Architecture and Engineering project, and was funded by donations from its namesake, the Lowe family of Gainesville.

"The Lowes were inspired by the Yardley Courtyard, just north of the garden space, to create an outdoor area to represent their family," said PPD Assistant Director Harold Barrand. "It is designed for student and faculty relaxation, as well as to help provide space for overflow functions from the nearby Keene Faculty Center."

Project Manager Chandler Rozear, who oversaw the garden's construction, said, "I feel that we were able to achieve a very pleasing, serene aesthetic with the project. The high walls of the buildings nearby, coupled with the large, sweeping trees surrounding the area, create a peaceful oasis within the hustle and bustle of campus. The overall effect, in my opinion, is that of a huge outdoor room, and it's very conducive to studying, relaxing, or generally communing with nature."

The project reached substantial completion in October 2007, but one detail remains to be finished. "We are working on an artistic design incorporating the former cornerstone of the old Johnson Hall," explained Barrand. "The design will be built to look like an ancient ruin, and create a permanent memorial for Johnson Hall. At the end of the day, I believe that projects such as the Lowe Family Garden considerably improve the quality of life for students and faculty at the University of Florida."

PPD R.E.A.C.T. AWARD WINNERS

The R.E.A.C.T. award, created as part of PPD's Employee Recognition program, seeks to recognize employees who "Recognize an Event and Act to Correct in a Timely manner".