Our Smithsonian: Keeping the lights on
Selfie of Paul Tintle
Since 2015 Paul Tintle has been a South Mall Zone facility operations specialist in the Smithsonian Office of Facilities Management, overseeing the building operations of the Smithsonian Castle and the Arts and Industries Building. On a daily basis he overcomes the challenges of keeping these historic buildings running smoothly while meeting the needs of employees and visitors alike.
Mr. Tintle, who lives in Hyattsville, Md., recently took the time to answer a few questions for The Torch about how his work has been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus shut down.
Has there been much activity in the Castle in the last month during the shut-down?
While activity at the Castle is far from normal, there are still thing going on! The Office of Protection Services has a regular presence at the employee’s entrance at the East Door as usual. There are also those behind the scenes monitoring the building as well.
Office of Facilities Management building engineers still have daily responsibilities at all Smithsonian facilities, including the Castle. We have reduced the number of building engineers to a skeletal crew in order to minimize exposure of coronavirus to the team, but they still have a 24/7/365 presence.
In addition, we have members of the Craft Shop, such as plumbers and electricians, on call in case of emergency. Beyond the building engineers and OPS security staff, there are others working in the Castle to make sure certain important Smithsonian functions continue, albeit on a modified schedule.
With people working in the building, other needs result such as the need to empty trash and clean and restock the restrooms. To that end we have building service workers on site daily taking care of those necessities.
Construction projects have also continued in the South Mall Zone [which includes all buildings above and below ground from the Freer to the Hirshhorn]. Scaffolding is being erected on the northeast side of the Castle to begin the next phase of the exterior stone repairs that are desperately needed. There is also work ongoing in the Quad. The workers use The Castle Boiler Room to eat their lunch and take their breaks. So, things are still happening in the Castle!
The South Mall includes The Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian Institution Building (Castle), the National Museum of African Art, The Arts & Industries Building and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
How often do you go to the Castle to check up on things? Are there certain building systems that must be inspected daily, weekly?
In the South Mall Zone, we have six managers–one Zone Manager, three building managers, and two assistant building managers. When preparing for this extended isolation, we, as a team, decided to have one manager on site in the Zone each day of the week. My day is Wednesday! We are willing, however, to come downtown on any day that we’re needed.
For example, on Monday April 13, we had a flood in the Hirshhorn Art Lab as a result of the heavy rains. The building manager of the Hirshhorn, whose ‘regular’ day is Tuesday, came in to oversee and assist with the cleanup efforts.
In preparation of the eventual reopening of the museums and Castle, we had cleaning contractors on site Tuesday and Thursday last week to go through each of the South Mall Zone buildings and give us a price to perform a “spring cleaning” prior to people returning. Pretty much all of the building managers and assistant building managers were on site to conduct the walk-throughs.
We have a tremendous building automation system at the Smithsonian that allows us to monitor the mechanical systems in each building from just about anywhere. I make it my regular routine while working from home, just as I do when I’m on site, to go through the Castle and the other South Mall Zone buildings using the building automation system to make sure all the systems are operating within design parameters.
We are set up to receive alarms from the system at any time of the day or night should anything go awry. We also have people in SI Communications monitoring for alarms, so there are always ‘eyes’ on our facilities!
As I said before, we also have building managers on site daily and they have a regular inspection tour that they follow to put actual eyes on systems to catch anything that our building automation system isn’t set up to receive.
Are you staying in regular touch with your staff? How are they holding up under this shutdown?
I have made it a habit to be in contact with my staff on a regular basis. I think it helps us all with our morale! I miss seeing them; interacting with them. We have a good rapport, and I want to do everything I can to continue that.
We have a total of five building service workers on site each week across the Zone so on any given week there may not be a Castle building service worker on site, but if I have their personal phone number, I call when I can.
When I’m on site I make it a point to visit those who are also there to say thank you for making the sacrifice to come in to support the mission, and to make sure they have everything they need.
For the most part I would say that they are holding up very well, but each expresses a desire to get back to work when this is over.
Do you keep in touch with the other Smithsonian building managers on the Mall and off?
The managers in the South Mall Zone have a Teams meeting every morning to keep abreast of what’s been going on in the Zone and what is anticipated that day. All OFMR managers and associate directors meet three times a week via Teams as well.
[According to Tintle: “I also served as facility manager of the Hirshhorn until the beginning of this year when a dedicated building manager was appointed to keep a promise made by the Office of Facilities Management to Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu.]
Wide-angle view from approximately 40 feet altitude of the north entrance facade of the Smithsonian Institution Building (the Castle) on Jefferson Avenue SW, Washington, D.C., at sunrise, August 27, 2013. Photo by Eric Long.
What is the hardest part of this shutdown for you?
The hardest thing for me about this extended absence is not being able to be with the people I have the privilege to interact with on a daily basis.
I also miss coming around the corner of the Ripley Garden and seeing the Castle and A&I each morning. I’m an early riser, and the sight of the Castle in the early morning light still fills me with pride and gratefulness that I am permitted to spend each working day in one of the more iconic buildings in Washington, D.C.!
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Posted: 4 May 2020
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