Story
and Photos By DEBORAH A. MILES If you ever attended a rally at the Empire State Plaza in Albany or an event such as the annual Fourth of July festivities, you probably didn’t think too much about the behind-the-scenes effort it takes to get the plaza ready.
But Christopher Gil thinks about it all the time.
Gil is responsible for the maintenance of 11 million square feet of space — the entire Empire State Plaza complex.
He is a maintenance supervisor 4 at the state Office of General Services, a PEF Division 179 member and oversees a staff of 67 state employees. His crew includes plumbers, electricians, carpenters, locksmiths, welders, plus 18 per-diem employees who are painters, caulker's and masons.
“I have a great staff. Everyone is very knowledgeable,” Gil said. “We are the hub for maintenance at the Empire State Plaza, the Capitol, the newly renovated Alfred E. Smith State Office Building and the Governor’s Mansion. We are available for any type of maintenance that needs to be done.
“Besides doing the regular work, my staff is very innovative and makes recommendations for improvements. We focus on preventative maintenance and energy conservation, and we take an aggressive approach especially with water and lighting conservation.”
Flexibility creates results
Gil also tipped his hat to the OGS managers for making it a job he enjoys.
“OGS provides an unbelievable amount of resources for its employees. There is constant training and keeping up with technology. Everyone works together. My supervisors allow us enough flexibility to do our job and take ownership of our jobs. That’s just as important as employee development and enforcing work-safety practices.
“The way things are run ensures the safety and well-being of the thousands of people who work at the plaza, plus the thousands who visit,” Gil said.
Although a typical day includes monitoring and repairing leaky drains, which is a nuisance problem at the plaza, Gil and his staff are also the ones who prepare for visitors on a grand scale. At this time of year, they focus on opening the skating rink through a “well-coordinated joint effort.”
“It takes more man power than material costs, but the key factor is the weather. It needs to stay cold, otherwise we have to ice paint the rink again. Warm temperatures dilute the paint,” he said.
Making it all happen
Gil’s team is the one that gets the lighting ready for the holiday tree located at the north side of the plaza, and provides the power for the lighting of the tree at the State Capitol.
“We are the forgotten people who pretty much make everything happen around here,” he said.
Among the numerous events held at the plaza, Gil’s favorite is the Fourth of July as he and his family, including seven children, enjoy the fireworks, food and music.
And one of these years, he hopes to sing the national anthem on that holiday, as he has done for other OGS events. It’s just another talent of this unsung hero of the plaza.