Wald's Words of Wisdom
The Capital Assets Management team endeavors to view all change as an opportunity to grow our skillsets. Winston Churchill is often attributed as saying, "To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often." CAM uses this mindset to keep ourselves comfortable with change. In CAM's vocabulary, change is synonymous with progress.
When progress is treated as innovation, we set ourselves, our customers and agency partners up for success.
Nathan Wald
OMES CAM Administrator
OMES Capital Assets Management kicked off deferred maintenance in the Capitol Complex earlier this month. Two projects are underway at the Will Rogers Building, and two more projects in the Transportation and Agriculture buildings will begin soon as part of the first phase of OMES' deferred maintenance plan.
Agriculture Building
Beginning the first week of December, the variable frequency drives (VFDs)–which are necessary for motor control of the HVAC system–will be replaced at the Agriculture Laboratory. Tenants will experience minimal impact and can expect the work to be ongoing for three days.
Transportation Building
Contractors will be on-site at the Department of Transportation Building beginning the first week of December through the end of July 2025 to replace an air-handler unit on the ground floor. Tenants may notice moderate noise levels while a wall is demolished on the ground floor of the building. Tenants on the ground floor will experience the most impact, but those on the upper floors may hear some residual noise.
Will Rogers Building
Work is already underway on the two projects at WRB. The metal infill panels are currently being fabricated to replace the existing metal panels on the exterior of the equipment room. The replacement should begin once the panels are complete. The roof replacement is underway, and the roofing contractors are working on the project section by section. Staff with workspaces in the building may experience higher-than-normal noise levels and a tar-like smell. Some days, this smell may be more noticeable than others. Weather patterns and wind may also spread this smell to other areas around the Capitol Complex. Most tar work is completed after work hours, so the smell may be more noticeable in the early hours of the workday. Tenants can expect this work to continue through the end of February.
Most of the work will be nonintrusive and should not disturb any tenants outside of the Transportation, Agriculture or Will Rogers buildings in the Capitol Complex.
For more information on OMES deferred maintenance, check out the complete list of Capitol Complex deferred maintenance projects, see the steps of deferred maintenance on our Roadmap or view the latest status for active projects on the Deferred Maintenance Dashboard.
New ServiceNow offerings
IT Asset Management (ITAM) is excited to announce several new service offerings to the state's work management platform, ServiceNow. These new services will streamline efficiency and ensure the proper handling of state IT assets.
The new catalog items will be available in ServiceNow on Dec. 23.
Please create a ServiceNow ticket if you have questions or concerns about your current device and accessories.
Forklift certifications
Congratulations to our ITAM staff for receiving their forklift certifications! ITAM manages the lifecycle of every state IT device and accessory from beginning to end, so this achievement will help our team to prioritize safe and smooth operations.
IT cost-saving measures
OMES and our IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) partner, Mender, continue working together on our new end-of-life process for IT devices.
With Mender's expertise, we were able to cut shipping and processing costs to the state in half by increasing the weight of our shipments from 15,000 lbs to over 30,000 lbs.
We continue to look for ways to save taxpayer dollars in other avenues. ITAM recently upgraded our conference room's IT equipment with devices slated for end-of-life processing. Our facility now has a fully functioning conference room furnished entirely with surplus IT assets.
Joy4Kids initiative
ITAM is proud to announce that we have internally raised $100 to donate to Joy4Kids, which is part of an OMES-wide initiative to provide holiday gifts for 10 foster children.
Fleet's winter advisories
Another season of Oklahoma winter weather is approaching! To prepare our vehicles and drivers for safety and success, please review our winter weather guidelines. Following this guidance is the best way to ensure vehicles and drivers are ready to face any weather conditions this winter.
Geotab support is available
Onward Fleet offers troubleshooting and administrative support for your Geotab system and hardware needs. Onward is ready to assist with reporting dashboards, non-reporting devices and any other support needs that may arise.
To contact Onward Fleet support, contact Janelle Cox at Janelle.Cox@onwardfleet.com or by phone at 405-467-3532.
Our team's deferred maintenance work
The Office of Facilities Management (OFM) is carrying out several critical projects as part of OMES' eight-year deferred maintenance plan to improve the Capitol Complex.
Here are some of the highlights:
The variable frequency drives project for the Agriculture Lab is beginning shortly. The now 13-year-old drives are approaching the end of their usable life. Due to delays with part lead times typically taking several months, the state is working proactively to replace the part before equipment failure occurs. OMES deferred maintenance is the state's avenue of transition from a reactionary environment to a proactive one.
The Agriculture Lab tests milk, pesticides and feedstock, so this maintenance work prevents adverse effects within the agriculture community.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) will soon replace a 50-year-old air handler unit. This replacement will allow us to meet current ventilation code requirements and increase system efficiency.
Another project slated to begin shortly is the entryways of the Capitol Complex quad buildings. The current entryways at the Will Rogers, Sequoyah, Connors and Hodge buildings are more than 30 years old, and some are out of compliance with today's accessibility guidelines. This project will refresh the spaces and ensure that state-owned buildings are ADA-compliant.
Facilities winter advisories
With upcoming seasonal changes, OFM would like to remind you of our protocol for inclement winter weather.
In winter weather, the Department of Public Safety will typically send an alert to the Capitol Complex. The Facilities team arrives two hours before the workday. If DPS advises a delayed start in the workday, Facilities Maintenance will still arrive two hours ahead of the workday's start and make the following preparations:
- Apply caution tape to the stairs until they're dry and clear.
- Salt handicap ramps and entrances.
- Salt building entrances and then the surrounding areas.
Water line break
The City of Oklahoma City began repairing N.E. 24th St. last week, where the city’s water line previously broke.
The city has informed OMES that N.E. 24th St. will continue under construction this week. As a reminder, the street will not be closed, and one lane of traffic will remain open until the work is complete. A completion date has not been given to OMES at this time.
OMES will keep you informed of any changes, and any questions or concerns can be directed to OMES Director of Facilities Management David John.
Welcoming a new construction director
Construction and Properties is eager to welcome Michael Shuck as our new director of construction.
Shuck is a seasoned capital project manager with a strong foundation in architecture and construction. He has an architecture degree from Oklahoma State University, and has designed projects across the region, including
the Spear School of Business at OSU and Chesapeake Building One. Several of his projects have received national and international awards.
Shuck brings a wealth of experience in various construction and architectural areas. He has worked in the private sector as a construction manager for public schools and previously operated a firm focused on project development, residential and commercial construction and business consulting.
Shuck looks forward to working on CAP's projects and helping other agencies accomplish their goals. He will be a strong asset to the CAP team, and we look forward to his leadership and industry expertise.
Resources for roofing damages
We know that the recent storms could have resulted in structural damage across the state, so if your organization has experienced roofing damage, CAP's Roofing Asset Management Program (RAMP) has more than one vendor ready to service you.
RAMP is designed to provide transparent, cost-effective and reliable roofing solutions for Oklahoma’s public entities. This program offers experienced, certified vendors who deliver high-quality roofing solutions with transparent pricing.
Who can use this program?
RAMP is available to all Oklahoma state agencies, higher education institutions, school districts and municipalities. This program ensures compliance with state procurement guidelines while offering competitively bid roofing services.
For your convenience, CAP has made RAMP vendors visible by region. Visit the CAP website to view our RAMP vendors and how to get started.
The 45th Division National Guard Arch and Park
CAP is taking on a new project just before the calendar year ends.
The 45th Division National Guard Arch and Park will ceremonially break ground on Dec. 19, 2024.
This project includes the construction of a 30-foot-tall arch memorializing the 45th Division Infantry of the Oklahoma National Guard, as well as a surrounding park featuring a 100-seat amphitheater that could be used for public or military gatherings.
Created by HB 4012, authored by Rep. McBride and Sen. Stanley during the 2024 legislative session, the $4.3 million arch and park is financed by a revolving fund into which state appropriations, donations, gifts and bequests by private individuals or other entities can deposit funds for maintenance purposes.
The project is slated to wrap up within two years once construction begins.
CAP's architect on the Allen Wright Memorial Library (AWL) project, REES, has been meeting with the Department of Libraries (ODL) and OMES weekly. We are actively reviewing the final draft of the facility's space program and assessments report while developing planning options. Upon their completion, planning options were developed to address the current library collections while focusing deferred maintenance and regulation needed updates to the facility.
Manhattan Construction, the project's new construction manager partner, has joined the project team in the last month to develop budget options for review.
The team is in the process of preparing the assessment executive
summary for final review and developing budgets for the presented planning options.
A project schedule draft with weekly time frames has been developed, and final dates are to be determined with the OMES, REES and Manhattan team members. Up next is Manhattan Construction's delivery of budget options to OMES and ODL by December 2024 for review.
This month, our construction manager, QUAD, and CAP have ensured that the selected building finishes and systems are durable and user-oriented and meet the objectives of the project’s request for proposal (RFP).
All historic windows were staged at their respective locations. The team is patching, repairing and securing window frames as needed while installing new window units.
OMES security and IT teams continue coordinating with the design team on audio-visual, furnishings, fixtures and equipment.
The construction team also conducts selective repairs to maintain structural integrity, corrosion resistance and fire rating.
Mechanical and electrical contractors are preparing to install ducting, piping and conduits. A recently awarded framing contract is in the procurement process, with site work set to begin in early December. Site demolition and earthwork will also start around this time.
The project is on track to be completed in August 2026, and the next milestone is to present budget updates to the oversight committee in December and confirm the proposed next steps.
The four main buildings at the Sallisaw Veterans Home are making exciting progress as the project approaches its completion date. On time and on budget, the veterans home has achieved new milestones this month.
The interior is complete in buildings 300 and 400. A punch list has been generated for their exteriors.
The contractor generated a punch list for Building 100's interior on Nov. 19. A punch list for Building 200 is scheduled to be generated in January.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) will begin new-recruit training for buildings 100, 300 and 400 in mid-December.
Beds for the facility are also expected to ship in December and January.
We look forward to sharing more milestones with you as this project progresses.
Recognizing outstanding employees
This month, we are pleased to highlight Sean Selby, the surplus operations manager. Selby started with CAM six months ago and in that time has implemented important changes to Surplus that have improved efficiency, organization and customer service.
In addition to overseeing the ongoing improvements to the Surplus facility, Selby has also conducted studies on Surplus's process development and started hosting onsite auctions. Since he began at Surplus, turnaround times for items sold on GovDeals have decreased from two weeks to 36 hours. As head of the department, Selby also emphasizes team building and increasing the security of state assets through learning sessions and safety training courses.
In his free time, Selby enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife of 24 years, Kym, and their two sons.
