A water main leak  affecting the entire campus heating system was discovered Tuesday. Lynn Wiegers, executive director for physical plant management (PPM), said there will not be any heat in the buildings and no hot water in the Sierra Hall restrooms. Wiegers said the leak started a couple of weeks ago, but PPM had trouble locating it because the water had not yet come. As soon as the water came up, they were able to locate it and start work… Read more

CORRECTION: Members of the Sigma Chi fraternity were not involved in the food fight. The fraternity was identified in a statement by the Department of Police Services, which was later found to be incorrect.  Updated 10/21 Members of the Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Chi fraternities as well as the Delta Delta Delta sorority were identified as the students involved in a food fight in the Sierra Quad area Sept. 28 that cost Physical Plant Management (PPM) more than $4,000… Read more

The Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) held its first concert Friday night, seizing the opportunity to showcase the advanced performance components that have had the community eagerly awaiting its opening. The concert, which featured jazz trumpeter, Doc Severinsen, was an exclusive event, held for the contractors that made its construction possible and faculty. Lynn Wiegers, director of Physical Plant Management (PPM), said the event was meant as a beta-test performance, aimed towards getting both positive and constructive feedback on the… Read more

Students are being turned away from classes because of the lack of chairs available in the classrooms. Leslie Gillman, academic facilities coordinator, said classroom chairs rarely stay put, even though the Academic Resources and Planning (ARP) Department meticulously allocates the chairs every year. “Every semester becomes this game of musical chairs,” she said. “We (the ARP) end up frantically trying to reallocate these seats to accommodate the students trying to add classes.” The dilemma of the wandering seats is due… Read more

This fall, Thomas Brown will step down as executive director for Physical Plant Management after 15 years in the position and about 30 as a member of the CSUN community. “I love this place, it’s been awfully good to me,” Brown said.  “But it’s a good time for me personally and professionally to move on.  And it’s a good time for the university too.” Physical Plant Management is the office that oversees all grounds and facility upkeep on campus.  Their… Read more

A dual access tracking solar system is the latest generation of solar energy panels in the CSUN campus. The third generation of solar panels is in the construction process in parking lot E6, said Bill Sullivan, energy manager for CSUN’s Physical Plant Management (PPM). “It’s being installed as we speak and its dual access tracking solar system,” Sullivan said. He added the project cost $1.97 million to install and it is currently at 30 percent efficiency, although the goal is… Read more

Los Angeles has a growing population but a shrinking water supply. This is where Bill Sullivan, energy manager for physical plant management (PPM) at CSUN comes in. “Water conservation is a more current issue than it used to be because water used to be so cheap,” said Sullivan, who has been with  PPM since 1994. Now that a change is warranted, Sullivan said CSUN receives incentive money for water-saving projects from both the Department of Water and Power (DWP) and… Read more