Meet the Man who helps the Port Keep its Cool-Craig Sweeting, Building Maintenance Coordinator

Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Contact: Marguerite Elicone

The past few days have been sweltering for most San Diegans, especially for those without air conditioning.  Inside the Port of San Diego’s Administration building, however, things are comfortably cool.

Craig Sweeting, Building Maintenance Coordinator, has worked for the Port since May 2002.  He has the responsibility of ensuring a healthy, safe and comfortable environment for the 200 employees who work in the 165,274-square foot building, built in the early 1940s for Consolidated Aircraft.

“I’m responsible for the security and comfort of everyone in the building,” he says.  “I have to answer to those employees every day.”

Every morning when Sweeting sits down at his desk in the basement of the building, he first checks a computer screen which he refers to as the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) “Mother Ship”.  The screen will show him the status of the Port’s chillers.  The chillers are refrigeration systems that provide cooling for industrial and commercial buildings.  He wants to make sure that all systems are up and running smoothly.

When Sweeting receives an inquiry about the building’s temperature, one keystroke will tell him exactly what he needs to know about the caller’s office space.  His computer monitor displays the temperature in each office and around workstations.

He can click another key and a display shows the air ducts and vents in the ceiling.  By looking at these displays, he can figure out what the problem is and how to fix it.

“Most people don’t understand what it takes to keep this building cool,” he says.  “For a place this size, all this equipment has to work together efficiently.”

The Port’s chiller room is located just outside the door of Sweeting’s basement office.  Inside, a labyrinth of pipes, ducts, engines and controls emit a constant drone.   The room is remarkably tidy, with thick chiller pipes painted in cheery blues and greens to designate which pipes carry water for heating and cooling.

The chillers have high efficiency compressors and use no oil or bearings.  They draw two amps to start, which is the amount of current a motor needs to operate.  The previous chillers that cooled the Port drew 600 amps to start.  In 2003, Sweeting was on a mission to change that.

He sought out experts in the field to help identify deficiencies in the building’s HVAC systems.  As a result, the Port installed a computerized HVAC controller that allowed the systems to be programmed to turn on or off at a specific designated time and date.

He can access the computer system anywhere.  Once when he was hiking with his family in Utah, he received an emergency call about the system.  It was no problem for Sweeting, who accessed it from his laptop in his truck, quickly solving the problem.

With this device, the Port was able to save 640,172 kilowatt hours per year, which translates into about $61,000 a year in cost-saving dollars.  Sweeting’s diligence has also earned the Port about $50,000 in rebate money from San Diego Gas & Electric.

The boiler room, located below the chiller room, looks like a dark and dreary dungeon.   Sweeting says it is the lowest point in the Port, reaching 20-feet below the surface of the Administration building’s parking lot.  Despite its crypt-like appearance, the machinery inside is also modern, efficient and of the latest technology.

Sweeting doesn’t just make sure the Administration building air is comfortable, he makes sure it is safe.  Back in 2003 when the county was first devastated by wildfires, the Port opened the Emergency Operations Center in the Administration Building.  Unfortunately, smoke and ash made operations difficult.  Sweeting did some research and ordered an extra filter bank for the building.  The filter successfully kept out the smoke and ash from the 2007 wildfires and also eliminated jet fumes from the nearby airport.

Besides controlling the Administration building’s HVAC system, Sweeting is in charge of building security.  In addition, he works with other departments to improve the energy conservation of the Port.  He works with the environmental department on several projects and is working with engineering to put in solar equipment.

His innovativeness has earned him special environmental awards from the Port and earned him an employee of the quarter award in 2004.

“This job allows me to use all my education,” Sweeting says, “not just bits and pieces.”

He also credits the Port’s learning center for providing additional training and encouragement.

Sweeting has a love of botany and horticulture, which enabled him to start the Port’s first compost and gardening program.  He saw where waste could be used to make something people could enjoy and worked with other employees to turn the compost into a thriving vegetable garden.

He took the compost project a step further, using it as a model for Port landscaping.  Now compost material is used instead of fertilizer.

Sweeting studied botany and horticulture at San Diego Mesa College and went to work for local nurseries.  He managed the gardening department at Sear’s and specialized in rare and tropical foliage.  His expertise landed him a consulting job with the San Diego Zoo’s Tiger River project.

Although he loved working with plants, Sweeting needed a job with more stability and medical benefits.  He began working in the linen room at Kaiser Permanente in Mission Gorge.  It wasn’t long before his bosses noticed his mechanical ability and put him through a five-year apprenticeship program at San Diego City College.  He graduated as a Master Journeyman, which means he is proficient in welding, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.  He is also a certified operating engineer.

Prior to Sweeting’s careers at the Port and Kaiser Permanente, he worked as a tuna fisherman.  After high school he often left for months at a time, sailing the ocean in search of tuna.  Once the tuna industry began to slow, he took a job as a meatcutter, working with the Cohn Family (owners of Port tenant Island Prime) at Iowa Meat Farms.  He bought his first home when he was 21 and soon after married and began to raise a family.  He has a 13-year old daughter and a 10-year old son.

Sweeting is constantly learning and perfecting his knowledge.  The walls in his office are lined with certificates from Cal State San Marcos, Mesa and City College.

His favorite part of his job is working with people.  He serves as a mentor to new employees in the General Services department, generously sharing his mechanical knowledge.

Sweeting says that his job isn’t a one-man show.

“It takes a team of dedicated individuals to run and manage a building efficiently,” he said.  “The maintenance workers and the custodial staff are that team and I’m proud to be on it.”

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