POLINOMIS D'ADJACÈNCIA D'UN CONJUNT DE VÈRTEXS 109

Now that we have a basis overview of operating procedures, it would be important to recognize the various areas of operation within a sport facility.

Sport facility operations can be divided into many different ways, based on the operational structure of the individual organization. For the purpose of this chapter, we will divide facility operating into the following categories: plant and field operations; maintenance and repair; alterations management; inventory management; energy management; waste management and recycling; and environmental management, greening, and sustainability.

Plant and field operations

Plant and field operations include managing the physical plant, including natural and artificial surfaces. Plant operations are the necessary infrastructure used in the support of facility operations and maintenance. While there are numerous types of specific plant infrastructure for specialized facilities – such as refriger-ation and ice systems for ice arenas, filtrrefriger-ation and chemical systems for swim-ming pool facilities, and watering systems for outdoor fields and artificial surfaces – generally the plant operations for a sport facility fall under five systems: (1) heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC); (2) mechanical and electrical transportation (elevators); (3) major electrical systems;

(4) plumbing; and (5) emergency power/generators. Today, the expectation of facility managers in their role as plant operators is to be a technician with mechanical competence. This expectation is verified by the numerous exami-nations and certifications that test for technical knowledge and interpersonal skills that most sport facility plant operations require. The reason for this necessary competence is that the facility manager is responsible for expensive equipment, proper operating conditions, quality control and improvement, profits and losses, problem solving, community involvement, and the environ-ment, among many other things. The sport facility cannot survive without quality management of plant operations, because lack of skills operating these functions will result in significant risk, damage, and costs to the sport facility.

Therefore, facility managers must understand the unique plant within their sport facility, secure and keep up-to-date about the technical skills and knowledge related to the sport facility, operate in a safe manner with quality consciousness, and possess the effective communications skills required to ensure proper operations by all staff.

Maintenance and repair

All infrastructural problems and damages to facilities and equipment are detri-mental to the continued operation of a sport facility. Shutting down facilities disrupts customers’ use and can be perceived as incompetence on the part of those running the sport facility. Hence, proper coordination of maintenance and repair is crucial to operation success.

In general, all maintenance and repair needs that are discovered by staff should be communicated to the facility or operations manager responsible for this area, and be documented on a maintenance form. In addition to reported maintenance and repair, managing staff should, on a regular basis, conduct an evaluation of all infrastructure and equipment to determine the status of its condition, and organize and coordinate appropriate remedies. Based on the severity of the problem or damage, the remedy will take one of the three ways:

 Maintenance: this refers to the work necessary to maintain the facilities and equip-ment. Maintenance includes periodic or occasional inspection, adjustment, lubri-cation, cleaning (non-janitorial), painting, replacement of parts, minor repairs, and other actions to prolong service and prevent unscheduled breakdown.

 Repair: this refers to restoring damaged or worn-out facilities and equipment, or to a normal operating condition. Repairs are curative, whereas maintenance is preven-tive. Repairs can be classified as minor or major. Minor repairs are those associated with maintenance activities that do not exceed 1–2 workdays per task. Major repairs are those that exceed 2 workdays per task, or are beyond the capability of existing maintenance personnel.

 Replacement: this refers to facility and equipment components or systems need to be replaced. It is the exchange or substitution of one fixed asset for another having the capacity to perform the same function. Replacement arises from an asset becoming obsolete, having excessive wear and tear, or being damaged beyond repair.

Alterations management

While all sport facilities are designed with space and needs in mind, it is inevi-table that certain alterations need to take place. Many times these alterations are needed for three main reasons in a sport facility: (1) the need for additional storage, (2) the need for modified spaces for new programming, and (3) the need for additional office space for expanding staff. These alterations can be infra-structural (examples: building new spaces, splitting spaces by adding walls) and/

or operational (examples include need for additional electrical outlets, plumbing, or communications). Many sport facilities are designed with the potential for alterations in the future, which in the long run reduces the costs of alterations. Alterations that are unplanned usually have a higher cost – as much as two to three times more than if they were planned for in the design of the sport facility. In some cases, alterations are temporary – usually as a result of a special event. In any case, to ensure that alterations are an appropriate outlay of money, sport facility managers should engage in a cost-benefit analysis for determining whether the benefit of the alteration is worth the money being spent.

Inventory management

Traditionally, we think of inventory management in terms of having the avail-ability of the products that customers desire, such as with merchandise, food service, and concessions. While these are each concerns of the sport facility manager, those individual tasks fall under the management of those ancillary areas, and will be discussed later in this chapter. Inventory management as related to facility operations involves two distinct areas. First is the inventory of available spaces in the facility, and how those spaces are reserved, scheduled, and allocated (as discussed earlier in this chapter). Second is the procurement process related to the inventory of equipment and supplies used in the various areas of the facility. Some of this inventory includes light bulbs for a gymnasium or arena, tools and supplies for conducting maintenance, cleaning supplies for custodial crews, and tables/chairs/and barricades for event set-up.

Energy management

Energy management is not a separate function but rather an activity that spans all aspects of a sport facility. Some of the traditional energy management measures include thermostat regulation and investing in energy-efficient capital equipment. However, electrical consumption control is the responsibility of all the employees of a sport facility. Examples include lighting in offices being turned off when not in use; lighting in courts, spectator areas, and other activity areas being dimmed or turned off when not in use; thermostats being lowered during down times and closed times (turn down 1 h before closing and turn up to 2 h before opening); and computers and other electronics being turned off when not in use. Energy costs are among the biggest expenses for a sport facility (usually second to staffing). Taking steps to reduce these costs can significantly improve the operation of a sport facility by increasing the financial resources available for other areas.

Waste management and recycling

One of the most overlooked costs of a sport facility is the result of the trash that it puts out. While a sport facility’s main objective for reducing contribution to the local landfill is to cut costs, the social importance of environmentally friendly business operations cannot be understated. Recycling mandates seem to be a trend that is starting to affect sport businesses everywhere. Some mandates are coming from city governments while others come from within the sport business itself. In addition to typical waste, sport facilities, as a result of general opera-tions, often have a multitude of recyclables that includes paper (newspaper, white paper, all other); aluminum cans; glass bottles and jars (clear, green, brown); scrap metal; Styrofoam; and cardboard. To deal with this, many sport facilities have segregated recycling bins at the rear of the complex.

The only way to reduce costs related to waste management is to reduce the amount of trash going to landfills, since landfill costs are determined by quantity.

One of the biggest problems in trying to implement recycling as part of a waste management reduction programs is getting customers to recycle. Having recy-clables mixed in with the trash results in additional costs for the facility.

Although the sport facility managers and staff are not in direct control, there are a number of things that a sport facility can do to influence visitors to recycle by raising their awareness. The first way to raise awareness of recycling is through video messages that are displayed during an event. Another important part of recycling awareness has to do with both the visual appeal and the prominence of the recycling bins that are located in the facility. Improving that ratio of bins to seats would make it much easier for people to recycle.

Environmental management, greening, and sustainability

The concept of recycling and reducing the amount of waste goes directly into the concepts of environmental management. Environmental management is the process of managing the interaction between the human environment and the physical environment/habitats. Globally, ISO 14000 (International Organiza-tion for StandardizaOrganiza-tion) guidelines provide requirements for environmental management systems and specified its relevance for organizations wishing to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. In general, the purpose of the standard is to reduce the environmental footprint of a business and to decrease the pollution and waste a business produces. In sport facility management, this has become an important marketing function more than an operations function.

Sport facilities that have the initiative to be more socially responsible are publicly being recognized for their efforts, and while a direct correlation may not be visible in any accounting documents, the cost of environmental awareness is at least partially justified in the positive effect it has on the image of the facility, which is a large component of public relations.

Two of the most relevant environmental management concepts crucial to sport facility operations management are greening and sustainability. Greening is the process of transforming a space into a more environmentally friendly area.

Sustainability is the process of being renewable for an indefinite period without damaging the environment. In energy management, we discussed some of the way to be more environmentally friendly (e.g. energy-saving bulbs, as well as in waste management (e.g. recycling). However, one of the biggest issues is the disturbance and reduction of plant life, trees, grasses, and other natural envi-ronments due to the construction of sport stadiums and arenas (and associated ancillary areas), artificial surface fields, and sport environments in the natural environment (ski resorts, golf courses, etc.). In response, the below list is just a small example of what some organizations are doing to ‘go green’ and be more sustainable:

 According to research from 20 studies conducted across the United States, Canada, and Europe, both in cold-weather and hot/humid-weather environments, there are significant drainage and water storage possibilities from run-off on artificial turf fields. Storm water collection and collection and reuse of water from watering are

gathered through the drain system under the fields, and then tied into large water retention pipes to allow the rainwater to return to aquifers underground.

 The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has implemented an ‘environmental charter for ski areas’ (http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/environment/sustainable_slopes) that provides voluntary environmental principles for ski area planning, operations, and outreach.

 The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) standards for sporting arenas and stadiums (http://www.usgbc.org).