The game day experience at OU is truly unique. On game day in Norman, you can find cheerful tailgaters, excited students, and devoted OU Football fans roaming the campus in anticipation for the game. However, getting the campus prepared for tens of thousands of visitors is not as simple as it may appear. It takes hundreds of personnel and days of set up in order to get the OU campus prepared for so many visitors. Among these personnel are Facilities Management’s own team members. Within FM, shops such as Roads and Hauling, Electric, Elevator, Plumbing, Air Conditioning, Zone Maintenance, Landscape, Custodial, and Refuse and Recycling all take part in ensuring that OU Football fans have the best gameday experience possible.
Roads and Hauling
The Roads and Hauling Shop is responsible for coordinating the placement of fifty jersey bearers and seven drive through bearers, which creates a secure perimeter around the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Prior to the game, Roads and Hauling crews set out various bearers to complete the secure perimeter. After the game is over, they remove the bearers to open the flow of traffic. They also set up Type-3 barricades around the campus area for traffic control and provide portable light towers for pedestrian traffic on Jenkins Ave between the Stadium and the Lloyd Noble Center. In addition, the department completes street sweeping on campus prior to and after the games. The Roads and Hauling crew also make themselves available to the Athletic department to fulfill any other needs on game day that may pop up.
Electric Shop
The Electric Shop provides temporary power to the home team players to cool the benches on the sideline. They also provide a field-level sound system for the football players’ warm-up music and for various special events during the football season. Another responsibility the Electric Shop takes on is that they monitor the various fire alarm systems throughout the Stadium at one central location. During the game, the fire alarm systems are operated in silent mode. If the system goes into alarm, a technician is dispatched to verify the alarm. Lastly, the Electric Shop responds to various emergency calls as needed during football games.
Elevator
The Elevator Shop maintains nineteen elevators and two escalators in the stadium and two elevators in the Asp parking garage adjacent to it. They work with the OU ROTC and the Stadium staff that operate the elevators on game day. The Elevator Shop supports the Electric Shop with the setup and tear down of the field-level sound system. The Elevator Shop also responds to various elevator emergency calls as needed during football games.
Plumbing
The Plumbing Shop coordinates with OUPD to setup and tear down a movable motor-vehicle barricade system at Boyd St and Asp Ave on game days. Plumbing shop responds to various emergency calls as needed during football games.
Air Conditioning
The Air coordinates with the Plumbing shop to setup and tear down a movable motor vehicle barricade system at Boyd St and Asp Ave on game days. Prior to and during the game, the Air Conditioning Shop reviews the HVAC systems using the Facilities Management building automation system to verify that all systems are operational. The Air Conditioning Shop also responds to various emergency calls as needed during football games.
Zone Maintenance
The Zone Maintenance team is responsible for patrolling the Stadium perimeter to locate improperly secured items. If items are found improperly secured, they are removed and taken to the Facilities Management Compound for safekeeping. Zone Maintenance team members also check for over-filled recycling containers and empty them as needed.
Landscape
Landscape Maintenance helps the Refuse and Recycling Shop set out and retrieve dumpsters before and after games. The Gardening Shop comes in on Sundays after the game for about four hours to pick up any trash left from the game. Three members from the Irrigation Shop locate irrigation lines before the football season for tents and during the season for media. They also shut off the surrounding water in the area to prevent usage during events.
Custodial
The Custodial shop cleans the football personnel spaces, before, during, and after the game for the football personnel spaces. This includes offices, locker rooms, weight rooms, meeting rooms, medical areas, and the Barry Switzer Lobby. Around ten custodians clean those spaces Friday nights and Saturday nights. During the game, three custodians stay on the south endzone to clean each time the team leaves the locker room. Two custodians are stationed at the stadium compactors to help sort trash and recycling into their respective containers. Additionally, there are two custodians on the academic campus to help monitor the restrooms and trash prior to kick-off.
Refuse and Recycling
The Refuse and Recycling Shop, with the assistance of custodial, places trash and recycling barrels across campus on Friday mornings for tailgaters and visitors. The team also places roll-offs and dumpsters around the Stadium for trash and recycling collection from inside of and outside of the Stadium. On Sundays, the team collects the barrels and trash from outside the Stadium.
