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Command Central, otherwise known as the Chestnut Building, for Plant Operations. The two buildings house Central Supply, a carpentry shop for repair work of furniture and shelving, supply storage, the repair shop for all fleet vehicles - including security - and groundskeeping equipment , and office space.

Name: Plant Operations

Director: Benny Smith

Associate Director: Randy Rose

Coordinators:

Lee Pack : Coordinator of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) and Maintenance Technicians

Calvin Davidson: Coordinator of Operations, which include groundskeeping, moving and set-ups for special events

Don Kent: Custodial Coordinator

Tim Stafford: Coordinator of Central Supply and Shipping/Receiving

Location: Chestnut Building

Mission: To provide for the comfort and safety of the students, staff and faculty on all three campuses of A-B Tech. "I feel like we're the lifeline of the college," Smith says. "You never see us, but you enjoy what you see after we've been there," follows Rose.

• Made up of a little more than 60 employees, Plant Operations is responsible for an immense amount of work that is done regularly on all three campuses.
• The groundskeeping department is responsible for maintaining more than 150 acres of grounds that accommodate approximately 25,000 students. Their duties range from maintaining the grounds to removing trees and debris after storm damage, to clearing snow so classes can resume. They are also responsible for moving any furniture in offices, classrooms, and labs, and doing set-ups for special events.
• The 25 members of the custodial staff maintain more than 800,000 square feet of building space. One staff member's primary responsibility is to change every single blown light bulb on the campus. This keeps him busy 8 hours a day nearly every day.
• Every single piece of mail and every parcel - an average of 60 to 75 boxes a day - comes through the shipping department. Central Supply is responsible for distributing over 1/2 ton of copy paper and the majority of office supplies daily.
• The maintenance department is responsible for repairing all of the plumbing, electrical, wiring, roofing and any other facet of the 26 buildings that comprise the A-B Tech campus. They were responsible for the remodeling and renovation of the business incubators on the Enka Site, as well as the installation of windows for the Fine Arts Studio and new kitchen equipment for Culinary.
• Smith and Rose oversee new building construction and work with the architects in the design process. They use their knowledge and expertise to help ensure the integrity and safety of the building, as well as the feasibility of maintenance.
• Because of the custodial night shift, there is a member of Plant Operations on campus 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. They are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week for emergencies. There is never a time during the year when the department is shut down. "The campus never rests," says Smith. "We're so widespread, there's not one particular thing we do. We just do it all."

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A-B Tech Commemorates September 11

On Thursday, Sept. 11, A-B Tech faculty, staff and students gathered to read the more than 3,000 names of victims of the terrorist attack that took place two years ago in Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania. The event, sponsored by the Student Government Association, was also attended by people from the community, such as a group of police officers from Henderson County who volunteered to read names. An ROTC unit from A.C. Reynolds High School presented the colors before the reading began.

Heather Reichman, a student in Chairperson of Social and Behavioral Sciences Randee Goodstadt's HIS 112 class, attended the ceremony and was touched by its simplicity and reverence. "The only consolation I can seem to find regarding September 11th is how this tragedy has strengthened all Americans and left each with a higher regard for our fellow man," she writes in a paper turned in for Goodstadt's class. "While our servicemen and women are still risking their lives in the name of freedom, we as a community and a country can show our support by being a part of commemoration ceremonies like this one."

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A-B Tech Instructor A Match For The Mountains

Basic Skills Instructor Nelda Holder was honored by the Women's Equality Celebration: Women To Match Our Mountains.

Madison Site Basic Skills Instructor Nelda Holder was one of eight women honored at the Women's Equality Celebration: Women to Match Our Mountains Aug. 28. The event, sponsored by the Western Carolina Women's Coalition, honored the women for their "contributions to improving the quality of life in the region."

Holder was nominated by another honoree, Hazel Fobes, whom Holder had nominated. Neither one knew the other had nominated her. "I was just tickled to be there with Hazel," Holder says. "When you do justice work, the rewards come through the people you're working with. To have a group of people such as this recognize your work was really gratifying"

Holder serves as the vice chair of the WNC Regional Air Quality Board and is in her fourth term as President of the Asheville-Buncombe County League of Women Voters, where she also serves as the environmental chair. As a GED instructor, she says she is able to meld all of her interests. "All of my work is about empowerment. It's a matter of helping people make their lives better and take some control of their lives. It's my passion."

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A-B Tech Readers Theater Troupe Performs

Foundation Development Officer Libby Hodan, Vice President of Instructional Services Sharon Morrissey, Interim Chairperson of English and Communications Kenet Adamson, Chairperson of Social and Behavioral Sciences Randee Goodstadt, and Instructor of English and Communications David Holcombe perform Chapter 4 of Fred Chappell's novel Brighten the Corner Where You Are for the Together We Read program. Readers Theater is a type of performance where the actors read directly from the writer's novel.

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Tech Talk is published for employees of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College by the Communications Office.

Executive Editor: Mona Cornwell

Managing Editor: Jodi Ford

Send submissions to Mona Cornwell, Director of Communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu

Publication of the next issue is scheduled Nov. 3. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 17.