On December 5, Cleanstreak was back on campus to pressure wash the Coliseum Deck. This is the oldest parking deck on campus and the most used which brings us to the first hurdle when completing this work. Finding the right time to do it. It is the most central parking deck and is heavily used by faculty, staff, students and visitors. The end of the fall semester was a logical choice because not as many students are on campus and fewer visitors due to the slowdown of events. The work was originally planned during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but was changed to overnight hours, 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., to minimize disruption.
The cleaning process starts by washing by hand using a high-pressure wand to clean ceilings, corners and edges then using a surface cleaner, that has a 66″ cleaning path, to go over the parking spaces and drive aisles. The surface cleaner is connected to a mobile water treatment and pump rig. The rig has a 2,700-gallon tank of water on board. The water used is reclaimed to prevent any runoff which can damage the environment, reduce drying time and is treated before being used again. Each tank of water can be filtered and reused three times before it needs to be changed.
- Why are we pressure-washing the parking decks?
- This will increase the lifespan of the deck by removing the materials that can break down and weaken the structure.
- Safety is also improved by brightening up the area and removing fluids and other materials that can become a slipping hazard.
- It is also a method of pest control by removing debris that pests use for food and shelter.
- Pressure washing will also take ages off the look of the deck, which you will see in some of the before and after pictures.
January 4 Update
Morning shift: Completed 65% to 70% of level four of the older portion of the deck.
Evening shift: Completed the portion of level two closest to Dunn Avenue as well as the entrance ramp from level two to level three.
January 3 Update
Morning shift: Completed the entire ramp from level one to level two and about 70% of level two.
Evening shift: Completed the rest of level two and the entrance and exit lanes of the newer portion of Coliseum Deck. Equipment will be staged on level two of the older portion for the morning crew on January 4.
January 2 Update
Morning shift: Four of the remaining five stairwells were completed as well as the sand and a few small piles of debris remaining. To make up for lost time due to equipment issues, additional staff members have been added and will be divided into two shifts, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Evening shift: Level one was completed with the surface cleaner including the entrance and exit areas. The final stairwell was also completed.
December 30 Update
All of the detail work on level one has been completed along with the parking spaces and drive aisles of the RE level of the deck and the ramp leading up to level one. The collection bag is at 85% to 90% full, which is approximately 2,000 pounds. To prevent damage and blockages in the equipment, piles of sand and debris were removed by hand. This was about two to four full buckets of sand and dirt per day.
December 28 Update
Detail work on level two, including the exits and entrances, was completed. The exit/entrance ramp for level one has also been detailed. Cleaning will continue on level one tomorrow as well as cleaning the remaining stairwells.
December 27 Update
All of the detail work for the ramps from level two to level three have been completed and the detail work for level two is about 25% complete.
December 26 Update
Due to the freezing temperatures, there have been some delays in warming up the equipment. Working hours will be extended to make up for the time lost. The detail work of the center ramps from levels two to three is 80% complete.
December 22 Update
The detail work on level three was continued today with 85% completed using a wand and 95% completed using a rotary cleaner. Extra crew members will be added on January 2 to run two surface cleaners to finish cleaning the new portion of the deck while detail work continues on the older portion of the deck.
December 21 Update
Detail work on the ramp from level three to level four, which was started on December 19, was completed. Detail on level four was 30% completed using a wand and 70% completed using a rotary cleaner.
December 19 Update
Detail work was started on the ramp from levels four to three on the Coliseum Deck’s older side. All ceilings were checked and found wasp nests and mud clumps were removed. The two large nests that are active will be knocked down during the wash. Corners that were full of sand and debris have been shoveled into buckets and removed to keep from blocking up the reclaim equipment.
The next phase is to work on level two down to level one Tuesday night.
December 16 Update
Due to mechanical issues with the treatment truck, the surface areas for level one and level two were not completed.
December 15 Update
Detail work of the Coliseum Deck addition is 100% complete. Surface cleaning of the parking spaces and drive aisles will start on level two and continue until completion. Pressure washing of the original portion of the Coliseum Deck will start soon after. So far 1,920 pounds of sediments and contaminants have been filtered and collected.
December 14 Update
Detail work of the deck is 99% complete. Surface cleaning of the parking spaces and drive aisles will start on the ramp between level two and level three.
December 12 Update
All of level four was completed and detail work was completed on level three and part of level two. The remainder of level two will be completed and the crew will move on to level one. To date, about 1,200 pounds of sediment and contaminants have been filtered and collected.
December 10 Update
Detail work and touch-ups have been completed on levels four and five, including the stairwells. The parking spaces and drive aisles on level four are 75% completed and the entirety of the ramp from level four to level three is done. Tomorrow the crew will finish level four and then move on to level three starting with the ramp from level three to level two and then the parking spaces and drive aisles.
December 6 Update
The crew started on level five after the men’s basketball game vs. Coppin State in Reynolds Coliseum. Detail work was 90% completed on level five and the parking spaces and drive aisles were 40% completed. This area is heavily soiled and is taking more time than initially anticipated. This work collected 800-1,000 pounds of sediment and contaminants.
