convincing physical plant on need for climate control

[Joel A. Jones]

>I need some help in how to present to the director of the physical plant at
>the college where I work (Colby College in Waterville, ME) the need for
>consistency in temp. and humidity in the music building.  The music faculty
>seems to understand this.  Their primary concern is a S&S D in the
>auditorium.  Apparently the heat is lowered to 50 or 55 degrees at night,
>making my tuning efforts as permanent as ice sculpture in Death Valley.  (I=
'm
>told that the piano students wear coats and gloves while waiting to play in
>their rep. classes.)
>
>The tricky part of this is the phys. plant wants to save heating $$$, and t=
he
>music dept. wants the climate controlled, but doesn't want the expense to b=
e
>added to the music dept budget.  The piano teacher requested that I write t=
o
>the physical plant director in my capacity as piano technician for the
>school.
>
>I am interested to know how you CAUT's have dealt with this issue.  The
>bottom line, no doubt is money.  The college can pay to have the heat kept
>up, or have the instruments serviced more often, but which budget will it
>come from?   I don't expect the plant director to know much (or care to kno=
w)
>about pianos, so I don't want to be too verbose, but I want to make a stron=
g
>(and convincing) point.  If the pianos fall apart, the music dept. will hav=
e
>to pay to have them fixed.  Can anyone suggest how to convince the
>maintenance dept. that _they_ have an interest in preventing such damage?
>
>(I'm also trying to get the music school to have Dampp-Chasers installed)
>
>Gordon Large, RPT
>Maine

Gordon,

I've found 2 things effective. 1.  Find the person responsible for turning
the screwdriver to have your problem fixed.  It is prudent to go up the
chain-of-command, but in the end it's the attitude of the people doing the
greasing and fixing that make things happen.  And, when you find them, make
friends with them - particularly this time of year.  A bottle of favored
libation makes more humidity than anything.
        2.  Collect data and send it up the chain-of-command.  I have a
humidity gauge in each heating unit area.  We read these gauges every week
and send the numbers off to the physical plant.  This gives instant
feedback as to what the conditions are and how their units are operating.
Our heating plant is now bragging about how well they take care of us,
instead of ignoring our plight.
        As for operating both heating and humidfying units on computers.
Before our humidifiers were put into use the temps in our classrooms were
averaging 74=BA and 15% RH.  After we got the physical plant to turn the
humidity on they found that classrooms were confortable at 68=BA and 40% RH.
Surprise! They were saving money by operating with less heat.
        Don't stop at soliciting piano faculty for support.  The best
squeakers were faculty from voice, woodwinds, strings,- almost everybody
got on the bandwagon.  Musicology and theory were not impressed as the
windows dripped condensation onto their stacks of papers filed on the
floor.  So be it.
        Let us know how soon the humidity comes on line.