Restaurants and the Super Bowl

Dec 15

Posted by Taylor Cammack in Super Bowl in Arlington | No Comments

By Taylor Cammack

As the Super Bowl approaches, restaurants around Cowboys Stadium are gearing up for the crowds and the cashflow that come with the biggest sporting event in the U.S.

Deputy City Manager Trey Yelverton predicted an influx of more than 150,000 people coming to Arlington from outside the state. Accommodating a crowd of this proportion requires parking, shuttles and adequate space for tailgating – and many restaurants are providing just that.

For the Cici’s Pizza on Collins street right across from the stadium, pizza sales usually aren’t stellar during Cowboys’ games.

“The traffic down here gets really congested, so a lot of our local people may stay away from the area on event days,” said district manager Tim Weaver. “The amount of people in the area for the event sometimes makes up for it.”

The restaurant makes up for slow food sales by renting out their parking lots to event patrons. Parking in the stadium lots costs anywhere from $50-$150 depending on how close you want to be to the stadium. During a Cowboys’ game, Cici’s charges $60 and up for a spot, and that price may skyrocket when it comes to the Super Bowl.

“For the Super Bowl, I’ve heard a couple business nearby are going to be charging $500 per spot,” Weaver said. “Truthfully, I can’t imagine it getting that high, but $500 seems to be the going rate.”

He compared this to the fact that VIP parking for celebrities and top-dollar patrons was actually going to be further away from the stadium than Cici’s parking.

“They’re going to be three blocks further away than us,” Weaver said. “As far as getting close, you’ll never be able to park that close to the Super Bowl in your life.”

While their plan is to rent out their lot for parking and continue with food sales during the event, Nancy Hampton, Cici’s chief marketing officer, said she hopes Cici’s will be rented out by a large company or corporation to be used for client parking and tailgating.

“If that doesn’t happen, we’re going to conduct business as usual,” she said. “We’re going to try to keep the business open and sell our parking spaces at the going rate.”

Some restaurants, including next door to Cici’s at Fishbone Grill offer more than just parking for event patrons.

During stadium events, the parking lot behind the restaurant is used by part-owner VIP Sports Getaway to host parties complete with two buses, a disc jockey and loudspeakers.

Hosting these parties during a normal stadium event requires a festival permit and a special permit for having amplified sound.

But when the Super Bowl comes around, increased security and the arrival of national advertisers means changes in regulations.

The Arlington City Council established a mile-long “clean zone” around the stadium for the Super Bowl, with regulations that every business inside that area must follow, said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck.

In order to protect national advertisers with the NFL, outdoor events within the clean zone would be regulated to ensure that businesses aren’t setting up displays and selling products such as football jerseys and other Super Bowl related paraphernalia unrelated to their primary business.

Manager Bill Helmsway said that the clean zone shouldn’t affect their festivities and that the major thing the restaurant is focusing on is getting ready for huge crowds.

“To tell you the truth, the main thing were focusing on is getting everything ready to accommodate the customers,” he said. “I don’t think there would be a business in the world that would be able to match a Super Bowl event.”

Helmsway predicted a 50 to 60 percent increase in sales during Super Bowl weekend.

While many restaurants are using parking and special events to draw in the crowd before and after the Super Bowl, one restaurant in particular is looking to retain patrons for the event itself.

Located two miles from the stadium, J. Gilligans Bar and Grill is catering to patrons wanting a taste of the event without the hassle of actually being at the event.

Owner Randy Ford described Super Bowl preparations in reference to a similar major sporting event to come to Arlington this year: the World Series.

“The World Series was a test run for us,” Ford said. “What the World Series allowed us to do is on one Saturday night have about 1000 people watching the game at our restaurant.”

During the games, Gilligans constructed a tent to house a television that was 18 feet tall by 33 feet wide.

For the Super Bowl, Ford said disc jockeys and bands would be booked for the entire week to create a more festive atmosphere and build anticipation for the event.

And, in his experience, having big events means making money.

“On the one Saturday night we had 1,000 people, we ran over $19,000,” Ford said. “On a normal Saturday, we will run somewhere around $5,000.”

And this isn’t just the standard for Cowboys games. Ford referenced the recent Cotton Bowl as another indicator that retaining customers means more money.

“A rule of thumb, we have a minimum of double in sales on game days,” he said. “We want to have people that come in before they go to the game and people that stay and watch the game.”

Gilligans employees, including Mandy Simpson, are looking forward to the crowds and the busyness of an event like the Super Bowl.

In one night during the World Series, Simpson made more than $200 in credit card tips alone.

“It was awesome and so much fun,” she said. “Sure, we’re a little overworked for that time, but we make bank.”

While businesses are preparing for the big game, Yelverton, as deputy city manager, said that businesses shouldn’t be focusing on short-term payoffs and just using the opportunity just to make a quick buck.

“Sure, I can point to plenty of people who have come to Arlington to have their activities and point to the dollars gained from the actual event,” he said. “But what you do is use the event to highlight your community.”

Yelverton said that the most important aspect while conducting business during the Super Bowl is to focus on the legacy of the city to keep the crowds coming back.

“The tourism boost is quick. There’s not going to be near-term payoffs,” he said. “When people see the kind of things the stadium hosts every year, they will want to be a part of what is going on.”

Super Bowl and Housing

Dec 15

Posted by Taylor Cammack in Super Bowl in Arlington | No Comments

By J.C. Derrick

When the Super Bowl comes to a city, reasonable prices are a foreign concept.

This fact has not gone unnoticed by North Texas homeowners.

Many North Texas residents have found the lure of lucrative short-term contracts too hard to resist, opting to put their homes up for lease to out-of-town fans coming to Super Bowl XLV in Arlington Feb. 6.

“Someone can realistically make $1,000 a night, so you can make a quick three or four thousand dollars,” said Todd Brenneman, founder and president of Phoenix-based Sports Event Rentals.

Brenneman started his company three years ago to help friends and family in Phoenix and Chicago, where he said he helped his father earn more than $40,000 renting out his home for a single golf tournament.

However, he said most leases are reasonable and have a variety of benefits for sports fans.

“I tell people to price their homes based on location and hotel rates in the area,” Brenneman said. “If you split the price between four to six people, it could be cheaper than hotel rooms and you’re all together in one place.”

Brenneman described two types of homeowners, including those who are looking to competitively lease their homes and those who are looking to be blown away by an offer. He said he has two listings for Super Bowl XLV priced at $17,000 per night.

“It’s not unreasonable to think they could get that,” Brenneman said.
Trey Yelverton, Arlington’s assistant city manager, advised citizens to use extreme caution when attempting to make a quick chunk of money.

“Hey, it’s an open market. If people want to take that risk, that’s their call.” Yelverton said. “I’m not sure how wise it is.”

Yelverton cited the lack of authoritative oversight, insurance liability and city and state taxes as reasons for thinking twice about renting a home for the Super Bowl. He said his biggest concern is the condition of the property when the owner returns.

“They’re taking on the risk of damage to their home,” Yelverton said. “There’s also a bit of consumer protection to worry about on both sides. The homeowner doesn’t know what renter he will have, and the renter will not know who the homeowner is.”

Although Brenneman admits the same drawback, he said Sports Event Rentals has yet to have a complaint in three years.

“If you’re charging more than $1,500 a night, you’re weeding out the college kids and frat boys,” Brenneman said. “You’re dealing with people who are spending a lot of money for an event, and they’re not the kind of people who are going to tear up a house.”

Sports Event Rentals only charges $49.95 for a listing, but some larger companies generate several hundred dollars per listing. Vacation Rentals By Owner, an international company, starts pricing at $279, although it comes with a guarantee that homeowners will make 10 times the cost of their listing.

Hotel availability is the primary factor driving home home prices in the rental market. The North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee had to guarantee 21,000 hotel rooms to NFL as part of the bidding process.

According to NFL spokeswoman Joanna Hunter, the league released 4,500 of those rooms Sept. 1, so “they can sell those rooms to other customers.”

The Arlington Sheraton was not one of the hotels to have rooms released, said assistant general manager Mario Cuevas.

“For the city to get the Super Bowl, we had to commit the entire hotel to the NFL,” he said.

The Sheraton is not alone in being booked for the week of the Super Bowl. Several other area hotels, including the Hilton Arlington, have been filled for months.

“Since they announced the Super Bowl last year, we started taking reservations,” said Isleen Rodriguez, hotel operator. “We’ve been booked up since then.”

Rodriguez said all of the Hilton’s bookings are with individuals.

Prostitution and the Super Bowl

Dec 15

Posted by Taylor Cammack in Super Bowl in Arlington | 1 Comment

By J.C. Derrick

On the morning of Jan. 30, 1999, a $40 purchase could have cost the Atlanta Falcons a Super Bowl championship.

A day before playing in Super Bowl XXXIII, Atlanta’s Pro Bowl safety Eugene Robinson won the Bart Starr Award by the Christian group “Athletes in Action” for his “high moral character.”

That night he was arrested for attempting to solicit oral sex from an undercover police officer for $40.

Atlanta went on to lose the game, 34-19, to the Denver Broncos, who were aided by two key mistakes from Robinson.

While the irony of Robinson’s award, which he later returned, cast an unusually bright spotlight on the dark underbelly of American sports, Super Bowls had long been a prime attraction for prostitution and human trafficking. The City of Arlington is hoping to change that when it hosts Super Bowl XLV Feb. 8, 2011.

“Every Super Bowl they truck in hundreds of prostitutes,” said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck. “We will have many many police officers working under cover.”

Due to the sensitive nature of the operation, Cluck said the city would not disclose how many officers would be working under cover.

However, he said an aggressive crackdown will be in place to serve as a deterrent for people engaging in illegal activities.

“Those participating in human trafficking and prostitution won’t know who is watching them,” he said.

Prostitution is illegal in the United States, except for a few rural counties in Nevada. The global prostitution market generates approximately $100 billion in total revenue, and assistant city manager Trey Yelverton said the city knows it will be a target.

“With a major event like this, I think it has been other cities’ experience that you pull a lot of people into an area, and they’re out of town, away from home, and maybe willing to engage in activities that maybe they shouldn’t engage in – and wouldn’t if they were on their home turf,” Yelverton said. “The market does its thing and supply goes to meet demand.”

Due to its illegal, unregulated status in Texas, the city receives no financial benefit from prostitution. Yelverton said the penalty for such activity will be well-publicized and swift.

“We’re going to have bulletin boards and undercover officers. People may find themselves with a mugshot and in jail,” he said. “There will be legitimate enforcement going on in the areas where we expect there to be high demand.”

Justin Els, an officer with the Arlington Police Department, said the department will utilize foot patrol and bicycle officers working alternating 12-hour shifts. However, Els said most of the security will be provided by off-duty officers.

Some hotels, like the Arlington Marriott, already have existing plans in place for high-traffic periods.

“We have officers in the lobby and in the parking lot on event weekends,” said Derrick Chapman, front desk operator.

Chapman said the Arlington Marriott is sold out for the weekend of the Super Bowl, but the hotel is not expecting any increase in illegal activities.

Yelverton said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has established a task force to combat the potential problem of prostitution and human trafficking.

Sexual exploitation is the primary result of human trafficking, but forced labor is also included.

Mayor Cluck said regardless of which illegal activity is attempted, authorities are optimistic about securing the area around Cowboys Stadium.

“We feel pretty confident,” Cluck said. “I would say the safest place to be in Arlington on that day will be at the stadium.”

Skype Offers New and Cheaper Way to “Travel”

Dec 15

Posted by Matthew Wallace in Business Travel | No Comments

By Hannah Dockray

Skype, the interactive, face-to-face alternative to traveling, has over 124 million users worldwide, and is still growing.

As of March, 2010, Skype reported that 37 percent of its users use Skype for business or business-related purposes.

This increasingly popular way of minimizing flight time has Skype spokeswomen Meghan Cross and Cassie Hitchner excited about development. Cross and Hitchner agreed that Skype is “constantly in development mode” and making strides to bring in more users every year by making the service “more accessible to small business and organizations.”

“Through the Skype Enterprise program, users can call and IM colleagues over Skype, call phones worldwide with Skype Credit, and trial the beta of group video calling,” Cross said.  “Companies can utilize free Skype-to-Skype voice or video calls.”

Businesses using Skype can extend the service into their existing communication system, like making Skype calls from a desk phone, with Skype Connect.  Beta calling, or group video conferencing, provides users the opportunity to collaborate with multiple businesses, clients and colleagues from all over the world.

Another benefit of Skype is that it can connect employees with the office, not just business to business. Skype can be accessed from any mobile carrier that provides the service, such as AT&T and Verizon, therefore providing a mobile advantage to the travel alternative.

Skype also has a manager-friendly program, Skype Manager. This program provides a way to manage employees’ usage of Skype.

“Skype’s main goal is to provide a cheap and effective way for people to communicate long distances,” Cross said. “It definitely opens up a new way to travel.”

Mexico Travel Continues Despite Drug Violence

Dec 15

Posted by Matthew Wallace in Business Travel | 5 Comments

By Hannah Dockray

Since 2007, when Mexico’s president Felipe Calderon announced the war on drug trafficking, more than 28,000 people have died in drug-related violence.

The drug war is literally at our doorstep. So why do we continue to send our students abroad, or stay in that resort in Cabo San Lucas?

Travel Leaders, a travel agency located in Arlington, Texas that specializes in trips to Mexico, said that it is perfectly safe to take a Mexico vacation. Travel agent Jan Smith said this is because the violence has been contained to on or near the border.

“The resorts are all perfectly safe,” she said. “However, our business has been hurt by this. The media has painted a negative picture of travel to Mexico, and the travel agencies have suffered because of it.”

Leisure travel has become popular in the U.S. ever since the Industrial Revolution. Trains and cars made it possible for people to travel great distances and see faraway places. Gena Camp-Short, Fort Worth resident and child caretaker, has more than 10 years of travel experience. Camp-Short said she has traveled to Canada, Spain, England and Mexico. Most recently she vacationed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for the second time.

“I stayed in a fairly large resort called the Riu Palace,” she said. “It was beautiful, but I wasn’t allowed to leave the resort. My guests and I stayed in the general area only. We were advised by officials to remain in tourist areas only.”

Camp-Short said she’s accustomed to traveling with her boyfriend.

“Solo travel is not something I’d want to do, especially in Mexico, and especially right now, with all the drug-related killings happening,” she said.

Fort Worth resident Rusty Thompson said his travels to Mexico have never been dangerous, but that his October trip to Mexico with Camp-Short was to be the last for a while.

“I just don’t feel too safe across the border, or even in El Paso for that matter,” Thompson said. “I mean, border police are constantly scouting around. It makes you pretty nervous.”

Border Patrol, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, was officially established in 1924. Its focus is to keep out terrorists and weapons of mass destruction as well as to prevent illegal immigration and promote secure borders.

Border Patrol public affairs officer Felix Garza assures that everything that can be done is being done when it comes to border safety.

“We are doing everything possible at this moment to ensure border safety,” Garza said. He continued, saying that he “cannot discuss specifics”; they could be threats to national security.

Colleges often send groups of students abroad to study at a corresponding university. The University of Texas at Arlington’s study abroad program offers many trips to several cities in Mexico, including Monterrey, where a school was the stage for a shootout in March 2010.

UTA modern languages advisor Blake Carpenter suggested students travel in faculty-led programs if they are wary about travel to Mexico. The university offers several faculty-led programs, of which information is available through Carpenter.

For now, however, Smith said she remains adamant about what she said.

“The resorts are just as safe as always,” she said. “The media is the reason for Travel Leaders’ reduced bookings…to Mexico.”

From vinyl to digital

Dec 15

Posted by S. Camille Broadway in Music & Technology | No Comments

by Myriam Gonzalez

Even before stepping into the club, the lines of people outside bounce to the rhythm resonating from within. Upstairs, bits of neon pink and green lights flash across the dash as a pair of hands work hurriedly to the beat. You’re in the DJ booth.

Technology has inched its way into nearly every facet of society. This is not to exclude music, which has always had the power to move people. Disc jockeys, or “DJs” as they’re more commonly known, manipulate that music by “mixing” it in a way that will get crowds moving.

In 1935 the term “disc jockey” was coined by Walter Winchell (disc referring to the record, jockey to the operator of machine). While music has been ever changing since then, so has the DJ.

In the early 80s when the rise of Hip-Hop music began finding its niche into mainstream America, the DJ simply had to “switch the record.” But by 1995, “scratching,” “beat mixing/matching” and “beat juggling” were new techniques being used by DJs. The term turntablist was created to describe the difference between a DJ who simply plays records and one who performs by touching and moving the [the records].

The impact of technology is evident in music, thanks to artists such as “T-Pain” who is famous for using auto-tune pitch correction effects on nearly every one of his tracks. But it has also crept its way into nightclubs and venues, giving DJs the opportunity to expand their options professionally.

“Technology nowadays has made it simpler and easier to where anyone can dj. People can download mp3’s, plug into a computer and start dj’ing compared to hauling crates of vinyl and cds around,” said Kevin Caballero, who goes by the alias “DJ Kevin Krunk.”

Caballero says that technology  has not only made it simpler to carry his playlists around, but it also helps him expand his creativity. By being exposed to different types of music, it gives him ideas of how to mesh different sounds and types together.

“There’s alot more genres and sub genres [of music] that weren’t around in the beginning. Electro, dub step, psy trance, indie dance, just to name a few. Now, thanks to the internet, I’m able to download new tracks right when they’re created to preview and draw from,” Caballero said.

Not only has the Internet been used to sample a variety of music, it has also been a useful tool for DJs to promote themselves and their music.

Ambrose Martinez, a former Dallas DJ and now club promoter, left the DJ scene to launch dallasloaded.com, an online business where he promotes local artists and their music.

“I wanted to create a place where the people I was connecting with could go and get their music out there,” Martinez said. “Not that I didn’t love what I was doing, but I saw the way the scene was changing for us.”

What Martinez was noticing was the emphasis being placed on social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook.

“Local artists now have a venue that wasn’t there years back and they’re being picked up left and right, some even signed! I had to be a part of that,” Martinez said.

Now, DJs not only have a venue to outsource their music but because of equipment such as channel mixers and auto tuners, their job is becoming that much more easy.

Software brands such as Native Instruments Traktor and Allen & Heaths, Xone DX, are giving DJs  “the extra scope to be more accurate when it comes to testing and mixing,” according to DJ magazine, a monthly publication dedicated to DJs.

Dallas area “DJ Rick G” (who prefers to go solely by his moniker) says his Serato system is where he’s seen the collaboration of the “old school style” of dj’ing and the new techniques the most.

“The Serato is made to simulate the vinyl records the groundbreakers had to use, only now it’s in a digital format,” DJ Rick said. “That just goes to show how far we’ve come in this industry.”

DJ Rick uses electronic music duo “Daft Punk” as a prime example of just how technology has changed his profession.
“Before, the DJ only had his raw talent to get the crowd pumping. But if you’ve ever seen any one of Daft Punks performances, you’ll see all that’s changed,” DJ Rick said.

“They became famous for syncing lights and lasers along with their music. Not just that, but when they started wearing the robot costumes it became more about the DJ rather than the event,” Rick said. “That goes to say alot.”

Though some agree technology has improved the industry, others like Fernando Rodriguez, who goes by “DJ Fern,” has a different opinion.

“Because new technology has made it so easy for anyone to call themselves a DJ, there are a lot more people out there that don’t know what they’re doing,” Rodriguez said.

One reason Rodriguez sees more of the negative aspect of technology is because “most of  the new software does all the work for you.”

“This gives young amateurs the leeway to call themselves DJs without having any real talent. Many don’t even know how to beat match,” Rodriguez added.

“Beat matching by ear is something old school DJs used to do,” Rodriguez said. “Songs are all different tempos, but the biggest thing is slowing it down or speeding it up to match the tone. A lot of these new DJs don’t have those skills.”

Veteran DJ and Energy 89.3 radio personality, Alex “El Niño” agrees, up-and-coming DJs don’t have to work as hard because of everything at their fingertips.

“There are a lot of youngsters that see us veterans living life and enjoying it but we have been through hell and back to get where we are. Nothing has been given to us in a silver platter,” Alex says. “There’s so much at their disposal that we didn’t have when we were coming up.”

The argument about real and amateur DJs will continue and so will the advances in technology.

In October 2010, Smithson-Martin Inc. developed “The Emulator” system, the world’s first transparent multi-touch system made for the professional DJ.

In a press release for its launch, co-founder and CEO of Smithson-Martin, Alan Smithson said “imagine a futuristic transparent touch screen in a club – it is an instant magnet for attention.”

While at “Club Cirque” in Dallas, University of North Texas (UNT) student Tina Gonzales doesn’t seem phased by whether or not she’s dancing to the mixes of a rookie or veteran.

“To me, it doesn’t matter as long as the music’s good,” Gonzales says. “I’m sure when my mom was my age she was having just as much fun as me, and I don’t think she cared what she was bumping to either,” laughed Gonzales.

DJ Rick uses old-school techniques in the new digital format to create his beats.

Click here for video footage

Campus competitions boost recycling awareness

Dec 15

Posted by Maria Magga in Campus Sustainability | No Comments

By Larisa Lichte

ARLINGTON- Students at UTA can get involved with recycling by promoting and encouraging other students to be environmentally aware while faculty members are staying active by competing in the Maverick Office Green Team.

Becky Valentich, the recycling coordinator, said she wants departments to be more active in the recycling efforts on campus.

Valentich said as a way to get the departments more involved on campus, they have started the Maverick Office Green Team where the 40 departments receive a bronze, silver or gold level depending on their commitment to stay green.

“Departments have a recycling bin on each floor but we wanted to do more,” Valentich said.  “Maverick Office Green Team is going very well and we are about to introduce a platinum level for departments that did a lot.”

Loretta Doty, support specialist in the Graduate Studies Department, has been participating in the Maverick Office Green Team by exceeding the expectations and having a gold level in their department.

“We did a lot of small things that made a difference,” Doty said.  “We made a name for ourselves, ‘Graduate Go Green Group.’  We are doing our part to be green by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the break room to throw away trash and using the recycling bins for our paper trash.  We are also watering the plants with left over water bottles, we have a compost pile for our food scrapes and some of us are carpooling. It’s really the small things that can help the community.”

Kristi Murphy, office assistant for the English Department, also said they have been doing their part to keep the campus green.

“We order 100 percent recycled paper and recycled pens,” Murphy said. “We have the printers set to print double sided and have cut down on disposable cups by everyone bringing their own mugs. We try to encourage the faculty to make the effort daily. We are at the silver level on the green team.”

While some of the departments on campus are being active to remain green, students are also trying to do their part.

“I don’t know anyone who lives near me to carpool but I try not to use as much paper as other students,” business senior Daniel Worobiec said. “I know it’s important to be green, and I try my best to help out but I am not sure what I can do.”

Valentich said the biggest challenge is getting students involved.  She said they are re-designing the labels to be more graphic to tell students what goes in what bin before the RecycleMania.

“Students need to be more active with recycling so we are trying to reach students,” Valentich said.  “One way is through RecycleMania.”

Valentich said RecycleMania is an annual competition for students to participate in that promotes waste reduction.  In an 8-week period students will be engaged in activities, competitions and be rewarded prizes.

Bhavana Kidambi, a student working at the Campus of Substantiality, is involved with the upcoming RecycleMania tournament.  She is helping to organize the event and said there is going to be posters, recycle buttons to wear, and pledge cards.

“We are going to be very active with getting students involved,” Kidambi said.  “We will be giving surprise rewards when we see students using the recycle bins.  The whole campus, faculty and students, will help to bring more awareness to recycling.”

The 2011 RecycleMania will run eight weeks from Feb. 6 to April 2.

UT Arlington and city of Arlington garden plots about to bloom

Dec 15

Posted by Maria Magga in Campus Sustainability | No Comments

A view of the campus land for the community garden set to open this spring

By Larisa Lichte

ARLINGTON-   UT Arlington is working in a partnership with the city to build a community garden on campus, spanning almost half an acre and will have 80 to 90 plots which will be 4 feet by 16 feet.

Meghna Tare, the Sustainability director, is organizing the campus community garden and working with the city as the plans are being made.

“There is going to be a ground breaking ceremony in March 2011 and our hope is to have full student initiative,” she said.

Bill Gilmore, Arlington Parks and Recreation assistant director, said his goal is to find commitment and determination to complete and maintain the community garden.

“We are working on completing a community garden council with Arlington citizens and volunteers that are willing to lead and be committed to the project,” Gilmore said.  “There will be a council president, vice president, security, historian and treasurer.”

He said the council will make sure that the appropriate plants are being cultivated.  Trees, illegal marijuana plants, and large bushes that would block the sun for other plants would be prohibited.

Gilmore said some people are concerned that the commitment and help with the community garden might decline as time goes on.

“92 percent of community gardens will fail in the first three years because the leadership will leave,” Gilmore said.  “We are asking UTA to give us three years to commit to the garden to make sure it is running smoothly. Right now either party can give a 90 day notice to pull out.”

Students can learn how to plant organic foods and to give back to the community by giving some of the food to food banks in the area.

“Each bed will have a lot of plants for each owner to maintain,” Gilmore said.  “Our hope is that each plot owner gives 75 percent of their food from the plants to the community.  We want to partner with Mission Arlington and give them fresh produce so they can use it for the homeless and people who really need it.”

Parks and Recreation funded the campus community garden with $50,000 from oil and gas leases. They plan to spend around $30,000 in case problems come up.  The community garden council will collect an annual fee from each plot owner.

“The treasurer on the council will be responsible for collecting the fees,” Gilmore said.  “It is being debated right now, but we are thinking about $25-$35 a year.  This money would help with maintaining the garden and fixing any problems.”

Kurt Beilharz, the park project manager, is overseeing the landscaping by drawing the plans on where the beds will be, how they are numbered, and the irrigation.  Beilharz said the irrigation challenge is figuring out if each plot needs a faucet.

Right now each plot has its own hose bib, or faucet,” Beilharz said.  “We are going to be discussing what will work best.  There might be a way to share a faucet between two plots, which will save money.”

City of Arlington and UTA choose the land behind the Sweet building because it is closer to the downtown area and has less traffic than other two locations they looked at.

Bhavana Kidambi, studying in landscape architecture at UTA, works at the Campus of Substantiality.  She said they will be bringing more awareness to the campus garden with posters and a bike rally next spring.

Community Garden Slideshow

Green roof research gives metroplex something to grow by

Dec 15

Posted by Maria Magga in Campus Sustainability | 1 Comment

By Maria Magga
After two years of research, landscape architect and UTA professor David Hopman has developed a plan for a successful green roof in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Life Sciences Building has a 1,000 square foot extensive green roof that Hopman designed, organized and manages.

The green roof atop the Life Sciences building is an extensive green roof, meaning that the primary focus is on the environmental and biological impact, followed by aesthetic services. It utilizes a minimal amount of resources and has little required maintenance. 

Hopman researched the design of The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center’s green roof in Austin as a building block for UTA’s green roof, which is the first extensive green roof in the Metroplex.

The goal of UTA’s green roof is to be a leader in green roof research in the area and to provide research on successful processes for green roofs.

Hopman said the green roof has been 60 to 70 percent successful. The success rate is based on plant survival and failure. He said everything happening around the margins will continue to get better and evolve as plans are drafted to conserve the most energy and use the least amount of water.

“We know how to do it here,” he said. “We have been successful and now the challenge is getting people to pay attention to our research.”

Hopman said green roofs have to be designed differently in different regions. Because climates are different across the nation, designers have to look at what plants will survive depending on the environmental differences in the area.

“Everything in this area is different, especially the climate,” he said. “It’s very hard to make that point to people, maybe because things kind of grow relatively easily in the ground and they don’t realize what a harsh condition it is up on the roof.”

During the last two years, Hopman tested numerous different plants on the roof and discovered the success and fail rate of these plants. Plant trials are done yearly and plants are put into three categories, highly recommended, recommended with limitations and not recommended.

Successful plant varieties are mostly Texas natives, including sideoats grama, blue grama, prairie tea and red yucca.

“The plants that are doing well up there like very, very low fertility,” he said. “So they grow like crazy, they are blooming and they get no fertilizer at all.”

Rather than soil, extensive green roofs utilize a growing media made from sand and shale. Hopman does not use any fertilizer on the roof, which is typical of most extensive green roofs. The plants contribute organic matter from their roots so that the organic matter in the media increases over time.

“We are finding things that like gravely soil do the best, because that’s all the growing media is,” he said. “There’s no clay and no silt. It looks like gravel, but if you dig down in there, there is organic matter because there is organic matter that comes from roots.”

Unsuccessful plants include plants that like a higher amount of fertility like buffalo grass, wine cup and yellow ice plant.

“Plants, including native plants that are native to clay, like a little higher fertility,” Hopman said. “They did well in the first year or two and now they aren’t doing so well because there was fertilizer in some of the soil when we first began that has long burned off.”

Director of research and consulting at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Mark Simmons, said that fertilizer creates a huge environmental risk.

“Fertilizer can lead to the roof becoming a point source of pollution,” he said. “You have to choose a plant and soil selection that has a minimum effect on the environment or else you’re defeating the purpose of a green roof.”

Simmons said the main thing to remember when creating a green roof is that a green roof is different than a regular garden.

“You can’t put ground soil on a green roof or it will become a major source of pollution,” he said. “The media used on green roofs has a different water holding ability and provides the appropriate nutrients for the conditions on the roof. It’s important to remember that a lot of things are different than they are on the ground.”

UTA professor Hopman said the research compiled on this green roof should be looked at by anyone else in the region attempting to create a green roof. He said the green roof at North Lake College in Dallas recently failed, and they asked him for advice on creating a successful green roof.

“I sent them an article showing them pictures of how our green roof has done really well and even took them up to the green roof,” he said. “Even after they failed the first time, they are going in a whole different direction and not using our data and research. I just hope they understand that nobody knows how to do the process they are using, so they are starting from scratch; they are experimenting.”

Hopman said he is publishing articles on the green roof research because he wants people to know that UTA has figured out a successful model for green roofs.

“Architects now know they can do it here and they can do it successfully as long as they base it on our model,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that it’s the only model that works, but if they use a different model it’s totally an experiment. It might work, it might not work.”

Amber Garza, Hopman’s graduate research assistant said there have been very few problems with the green roof.

“The only problems we have encountered are the irrigation system acting up every now and then, and an increase in the amount of weeds,” she said. “We typically don’t use anything to kill of the weeds, so there was an increase in the amount we saw this fall. We may have to reconsider our approach in the future.”

Along with the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Hopman is creating a nationwide network of regionally appropriate extensive green roofs so that people can get information on how to do a green roof in their specific area.

“There will be different committees for each region, that way we can have these pods of expertise on green roofs, instead of just letting the vendors run it,” Hopman said.

Hopman said while vendors want green roofs to succeed, some are overly enthusiastic about their products. Two vendors, American Hydrotech and Weston Solutions, donated all of the materials for UTA’s extensive green roof.  

“The green roof wouldn’t have been possible without the donated materials from the vendors,” he said. “They are good people, but their business model is different. The people who sell the material all say they know how to do it and that they have experts and sometimes they don’t.”

Hopman said the key in designing a successful green roof in the area is to build off of his research and not completely throw it out to come up with a different way of doing it.

“There’s no reason for others to completely reinvent the wheel from what we are doing here, we are close enough,” he said. “I feel as a landscape architect, I can say with confidence, this is how you do it.”

Extensive Podcast

UTA plants green roofs on new building

Dec 15

Posted by Maria Magga in Campus Sustainability | 1 Comment

 
 

The green roofs on top of the Engineering Research Building are viewable through classroom windows

By Maria Magga

Four green roofs were placed on top of the $126 million Engineering Research Building that will open Jan. 3 as the first sustainable building on campus.

Benefits of the green roof include reduced energy costs because of the reduction of the solar impact on the building, storm water management because of the 28,000 gallon rainwater collection system that will be used to irrigate the roofs and the potential impact on the urban heat island effect because of natural cooling and heating.

The urban heat island effect describes the idea that certain metropolitan areas are warmer than rural areas around it because of the decreased vegetation and multitude of buildings and pavement.

The roofs on the Engineering Research Building are intensive green roofs, which are designed to be aesthetically pleasing while reducing energy costs. They are considered elevated parks. Extensive green roofs, on the other hand, are designed primarily as roofs focused on the environmental effects of vegetation on roofs.

Director of facilities management Larry Harrision said that an intensive roof was chosen for the engineering building because it balances out the goals of the building.

“The intensive green roofs are a step forward with our sustainability efforts at UTA,” he said. “They help to reduce energy, but at the same time they are aesthetically pleasing. Anyone who is in that building next semester looking out at the gardens will agree.”

Harrision, who is also the chair of the UTA Sustainability Energy and Water Committee, said the green roof and other energy saving methods being implemented with the engineering building’s construction have a common goal to improve the working and living environment of students, faculty and staff.

“I was in the Pentagon for many years and when you look at all of the rings of that roof, it’s just roof,” he said. “When you look at a green roof, it’s inviting, green, colorful and living. Nothing compares. The aesthetic aspect improves your view on life, so I think without any question these roofs improve the lives of those on campus.”

The 28 thousand gallon water collection system will collect rain water and water from the condensation of the air conditioner and heating systems. The collected water will be used to irrigate the green roofs.

“The water tank will keep us from having to put water into a sewer system, which saves money,” he said. “Plus, we won’t have to buy water to irrigate because we are recycling.”

The roofs will require heavy maintenance for the first two growing seasons. Grounds crews will perform maintenance on the roofs by hand.

The irrigation system used on the roof is a drip irrigation system as opposed to spray irrigation. In a drip system, water goes straight to the roots of the plants.

Grounds supervisor Jan Hergert said this irrigation system will keep water from blowing onto the glass windows and will use less water.

“Ideally, the irrigation system could be used all year long but we did install a hose connection just in case,” he said. “If it’s 105 degrees and there hasn’t been any rain, we will have to water more. There has to be a substitute for Mother Nature if it’s just not raining.”

The intensive roofs on the engineering building will follow an organic program that uses organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer is made from cornmeal gluten and dry molasses with no herbicides. Horticultural vinegar will be used to kill weeds. Everything from the fertilizer to the vinegar will be hand applied and no machines will be used on the roofs.

Herbert said while the maintenance on the roofs is expected to decrease after the first two seasons, all of the work has to be done by hand. After the first two seasons, the plants will require less fertilizer and water.

“In the initial phases of the roofs, there will be a lot of time and work focused on them,” he said. “We will have to make sure our grounds crew is trained on how to take care of the roofs. Specifically, we will focus on how to tell the difference in the plants and weeds, because it’s really hard to tell the difference when the plants are so young.”

Only two of the green roofs have doors that lead to them while the other two are only accessible through windows.

“Most importantly in training the grounds crew, we will focus on safety,” Herbert said. “The two green roofs that are only accessible through windows are hard to get to. We will have to enter them with a step ladder.” 

The Environmental Protection Office tested different aspects of the roofs to make sure the roofs are safe. One concern with green roofs is flammability in the dry seasons.

“The EPS office went through everything in great amount of detail and made sure that certain flammable plants were not planted,” facilities management director Harrison said.

Director of sustainability Meghna Tare said the building policy used in building the engineering building is part of UTA’s commitment to campus sustainability.

“We invest millions of dollars in sustainability and have lots of different programs that we are investing in to get a good return,” she said. “The projects we are working on get implemented and we see results. As we invest on energy saving projects, we will see energy saving results.”

The four intensive green roofs are a part of UTA’s effort to achieve a silver rating from the standard green building rating system implemented by the United States Green Building Council. Buildings can achieve Gold, Silver or bronze ratings.

One green roof is accessible to students and provides a walkway to view the gardens.

According to the USGBC website, their rating system, called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), is the nationally accepted rating system for the design, construction and operation of green buildings.

Administration and campus operations vice president John Hall said the green roof projects align with the goals of multiple sustainability groups on campus. Some of the goals are making the campus greener, reducing energy and water consumption and achieving the LEED Silver rating for all new construction projects.

“There are several energy conservation initiatives that are incorporated into the design of our buildings, and green roofs are only one aspect of our energy conservation program,” he said.

Senior project manager Bill Amendola said the cost of the roofs hasn’t been calculated because they have been built and serviced through multiple different sub-contractors.

“You have a roofer, mason for walls, landscaper for plants, soil and irrigation specialists, and even more,” he said. “We could only work up a rough number if we requested information from all of the different sub-contractors.”

Intensive Podcast