With the destruction of the Hicks Gymnasium in 2020, the security team’s headquarters also fell in the tornado. This setback forced the security, buildings and grounds staff to cram into a small repurposed classroom in Nearburg. With more than a dozen staff members crammed into this room, the two groups quickly realized the tight space.
“Our work was not affected; (the room) just made it a little more busy,” Director of Security Dale Hackbarth said. “Facilities and security get along very well because we do lean on each other. This is a 40 acre, 12 building campus, and, from access control to water leaks and everything in between we have to help each other out.”
The original headquarters in Hicks Gymnasium contained offices for each team, an adjoining conference room for private conversation and an overall larger space to work in. Finding storage in the Nearburg classroom has been difficult for the faculty.
“We don’t have any locker rooms up there, so (our radios, rain gear, winter gear and coats) are kind of piled up on chairs,” Hackbarth said.
The new facilities will solve all of these problems. Hackbarth believes that the new offices will help support his staff by serving as a place they can call home base to check radios, have a meal and more. The increased office and headquarters size will reflect that of the old gymnasium. Both Hackbarth and Director of the Physical Plant Mark Webb met with the architects during the design process to add their own input on the blueprint.
“Mark Webb and his assistant, Dwayne Barnhart, have their own offices; I have my own office,” Hackbarth said. “There’s a big conference room with cubicles for our staff to get on the computer. It’s big enough with numerous computers for (the grounds) staff and (security) staff. We do share a common, common space, but we have our own offices.”
Along with the upgraded space, a new surveillance and access control system has been implemented, viewing the over 200 cameras across campus on four different monitors. Hackbarth says the new control room will allow for improvements on security analytics.
“We are doing ongoing training on the camera system,” Hackbarth said. “These cameras are user friendly, and I just have to get everybody acclimated, to put their time on the cameras and work. The cameras are basically for post-identification, so if an issue comes to my attention, I’m able to pull up that area and (assess the situation).”
The past few years in the cramped classroom have finally ended, bringing excitement to these teams.
“I’ve gotten pretty close with the facility staff,” Hackbarth said. “You can’t help but get pretty close when you share a classroom with them, and it’s a great relationship.”