The mission of the Black Hills State University Facilities Services is to operate and maintain a high-quality physical environment to enhance student learning, faculty teaching and research. We serve other non-academic departments and we support the University’s service to the community and citizens of South Dakota.

• We are a service organization dedicated to the success and satisfaction of the BHSU faculty, staff, students and campus visitors. Facilities Services responsibilities include maintenance, operation and improvement of buildings, grounds and utility systems; custodial care; parking; and fleet dispatch.
• Our staff members are our most valuable assets. Each individual employee of Facilities Services is a team member who contributes to the decision-making process. We seek creative and innovative solutions to meet our customer’s needs. We set high service standards and promote personal growth through education and training.
• Our goal is to provide reliable and timely service. We strive to purchase and maintain state of the art equipment and technology to elevate our capabilities. We provide a safe work environment that is conducive to long-term employee satisfaction.

Please contact Facilities Services at 605-642-6244 if you have any questions or concerns regarding any facility or maintenance issue on campus.

Plant Operations and Maintenance

Submit a Work Request

Black Hills State University Facilities Services provides maintenance and care of all buildings on campus. Any special requests of custodians or maintenance personnel should be sent to Randy Culver.

Work Requests

• Faculty and staff members may submit a work request for non-maintenance issues, with department head approval. The request must include a Location Code, Request Type, and FOAP. This information is available by using the drop down boxes and search screens. Non-maintenance work requests should be submitted a minimum seven (7) days in advance of the desired project start date, and include a target completion date in the comments section.
  
  A building maintenance work request may be submitted using  000000-000000-755068-07-000000: BUILDING MAINTENANCE CODE.   Emergency work requests for plumbing or electrical problems should be directed to Ext. 605-642-6244.
  
  Contact Facilities Services at 605-642-6244 if you need assistance with the online request form.
   
• Keys
  • Keys must be checked out from the Facilities Services office. Faculty members are personally responsible for the keys that are checked out to them. An assessment of $10 will be made for a lost office or classroom key and $50 will be assessed for a lost master key. If a faculty member is not returning for the next year, all keys must be turned in to the Facilities Services office before the final paycheck will be issued. Department or Division Heads must complete and sign a key request for students to be issued keys. All students will be required to pay a $10 security deposit per set for keys issued to them. Deposit will be refunded upon return of the keys to this office. This policy is our effort to maintain the security of all buildings on campus.
• Energy Management
  • Facilities Services is responsible for the campus wide energy conservation program. Any questions about temperature settings, lighting levels, or other conservation measures should be directed to the Plant Manager, Randy Culver or by calling 605-642-6244.
• Grounds Services
  • Grounds Services provides mowing, seeding and fertilizing of all sod areas, tree trimming, removal and planting, landscaping and campus beautification, athletic field upkeep and snow removal. Concerns or comments regarding grounds maintenance should be directed to Plant Manager, Randy Culver at 6157or e-mail RandyCulver@bhsu.edu.
• Motor Pool and Fleet
  • Facilities Services provides the scheduling and maintenance of all South Dakota Motor Pool vehicles assigned to BHSU. To schedule a vehicle, complete a travel request through your department. All travel must be approved through University Support Services. To schedule a state vehicle, complete the online Vehicle Request Form, or contact Facilities Services at 605-642-6328. Provide the name of the driver, date and time of departure, date and time of return, department account number, and number of passengers. Keys are available for pickup at the Facilities Services office prior to departure. Please contact this office if special before or after-hours pickup is required.
• Custodial Services
  • A full time staff of 27 Facility Workers allows Facilities Services to provide cleaning and general building maintenance for approximately 760,000 square feet of building space on campus. Swing shifting staff provides custodial service 24 hrs on most days. This staff also provides service to sporting and special events that occur outside normal business hours.
• Recycling
  • Facilities Services provides campus wide recycling. Please check us out at Going Green at BHSU!
     

Winter weather brings typical snow and cold problems. Facilities Services will continue to remove snow, sand sidewalks and roads, and use chemical melters to reduce slip and fall hazards as much as possible. It is important for individuals to recognize the hazards of slippery walks and roadways. There are several things that can be done to reduce the risk of falling when slippery conditions exist. Here are some helpful hints:

1. Wear boots or overshoes with grip soles. Slick leather or plastic soles on shoes will definitely increase the risk of slipping.
2. Don't walk with your hands in your pockets. This reduces the ability to use your arms for balance if you do slip.
3. Take short shuffling steps in very icy areas.
4. Don't carry or swing heavy loads, such as large boxes, cases or purses that may cause you to become off balance when you are walking.
5. When walking, curl your toes under and walk as flat-footed as possible.
6. Don't step on uneven surfaces. Avoid curbs with ice on them
7. Place your full attention on walking. Digging in your pocketbook or backpack , or talking on the cellphone while walking on ice is dangerous.

Facilities Services is committed to maintaining a safe and comfortable place to learn and work. Please report any hazardous conditions to the Facilities Services office at 605-642-6244.

Black Hills State University Facilities Services is proactive in “Going Green” on our campus.

• LEED™ Silver Certification on new construction
  All new construction at BHSU must meet a minimum of 33 point criteria for LEED™ certification. The categories include Sustainable sites, Water efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation & Design Process.
• Recycling
  In 2004, Black Hills State University reinstated white paper and phone book recycling and has collected over 25 ton of material. In addition, Facilities Services recycled over 400 gallons of used motor oil, and 28 ton of scrap steel. BHSU recycling staff, assisted by grounds staff as needed, is responsible for emptying containers and transporting all white paper recyclable material on campus. Residence Life and various Student Organizations collect aluminum cans. The Silver LEED Certification for the 2009 Student Union Expansion Project, and the 2010 New Science Facility, requires the recycling of all waste material produced in the building. Collection containers for aluminum, plastic, and paper are placed strategically in public areas. In the Student Union, Dining service collects all cardboard packaging material, and food waste is processed into a pulp matter which can be used for composting. The utility cart used for transporting recycled materials is recharged using energy produced by the university’s wind turbine.
• Green Cleaning
  Currently 80% of our cleaning chemicals are Green Seal Certified which reduces the impact on health of building occupants, custodians, and the environment. We are moving to obtain 100% of green cleaning chemicals in the near future. 100% of the floor finish that we use in the Resident Halls and classrooms are Green Seal Certified which means no heavy metals released into the environment when scrubbing or stripping. Our paper and plastic products contain post consumer content. All vacuum cleaners in the Student Union and 40% in the Resident Halls (moving to 100%) are equipped with HEPA filtration units that filter to .3 microns at 99.99954% efficiency, to improve indoor air quality. We use microfiber and recycled cotton cloths for general cleaning instead of paper towels to minimize waste.50% of our auto-scrubbers utilize systems that allow us to use 70% less water and cleaning chemicals moving toward 100%.
• Water Conservation and Pollution Control
  BHSU uses low volume flush valves in new construction and resident hall renovation. New planting areas use native plants for minimum irrigation and maintenance. Recent construction of the Jonas Parking Lot and the Student Union created 3 Bio-swale areas that are designed to filter water before it enters the area’s natural water flows. The swales collect water run off and use plant material to naturally filter debris and sediment.
• Wind Generation
  The 1.8KW wind turbine generates power that is metered back into the grid. Software tracks the energy generation and BHSU receives a credit for the production. The battery powered electric cart used for campus recycling is recharged using this energy.
• Energy Conservation
  The BHSU Utility Master Plan utilizes long range planning and development for expansion and upgrades to create policy and procedures that will benefit our campus community. A statewide energy evaluated energy consumption in over 4100 state buildings. A planned Energy Performance contract will implement energy saving equipment to reduce our electrical consumption. BHSU is studying the benefits and costs of utilizing woody bio-mass in a wood fired boiler.

For questions or comments, please contact FACILITIES SERVICES at 605-642-6244.