Spotlight
Marquez steps
up to challenge
By Steve
Carr
Lights,
water, heating and cooling on campus can be taken for granted
when they work properly. But when a utility goes on the fritz
the folks who maintain them are invaluable. Thats when
the phone of Steve Marquez, utilities manager at at Ford Utilities
Division, a subdivision of the Physical Plant Department, starts
ringing.
My
primary duties and responsibilities include, but arent
limited to, the needs of the University, which includes students,
faculty and staff, Marquez said. We try to ensure
and maintain the comfort level of the classrooms, research facilities
and other functions on campus such as student resident housing.
Its
a job that Marquez and his coworkers perform on a daily basis
with little recognition. But the rewards and challenges extend
beyond that.
The
aim of the job is to limit outages with respect to the needs
of the campus, Marquez said. Sometimes its
very difficult to get on the calendar [for maintenance purposes].
For example, Popejoy schedules out 2-3 years in advance. Its
hard to do the scheduled maintenance efforts around the scheduling
requirements of the University. Its a juggling act at
times.
In addition
to making sure the utilities work properly, Marquez, who spent
20 years in the Navy as a steam plant inspector, is also involved
in several projects designed to improve services in the future.
Projects such as the new Lomas chilled water plant, a lighting
upgrade in 83 buildings across campus and the Ford Utilities
renovation are ongoing.
Keeping
the new plant running, new tie-ins and limiting the amount of
interruptions to the needs of the campus is quite a challenge,
Marquez said. Theres no time to be bored.
Outside
of his duties at Ford Utilities, Marquez is an avid fisherman
who takes annual fishing trips to the San Juan River and elsewhere
across New Mexico.
His wife,
Virgie, is a lead singer in a local band and Marquez operates
their sound system. He also runs a DJ business on weekends.
After all, theres no time to be bored.