Frozen Pipes

The first full week of 2015 has been bitterly cold. With negative and single digit temperatures, it’s not a surprise that frozen pipes have been the struggle of my week. First thing Monday morning, the Blue Ribbon Foundation office had no running water. Fortunately we had heat and electricity, so work could still get accomplished. The lack of water wasn’t a huge problem for us. (Unless you are someone like me that drinks three cups of coffee in the morning.) It only took our outstanding maintenance staff a few hours to heat the pipes and get things fixed. We had running water before I had to travel down to the Administration Building to use the bathroom.

 

The construction across the road from our office has been depending on our water supply. The crew has been struggling all week to get the outdoor faucet to work but the cold temperatures haven’t stopped their efforts on the renovations. Every day there is some new aspect of the future MidAmerican Energy stage going into place. It’s hard to tell what exactly is being done on site but it’s exciting to know that in six months a brand new stage will be ready for free entertainment during the Fair.

 

This week, I’ve also had trouble with frozen pipes at my own home. Strangely enough, only the cold water pipe in the kitchen was frozen. After space heaters, added installation, and the hairdryer - I’ve got running water. Again, it wasn’t a huge issue but more of an inconvenience. Luckily the pipes never burst. 

 

To say I’m wishing for warmer temperatures is an understatement! I know we are only getting started with winter weather but I’m already looking ahead to spring and summer. This week, we’ve started interviewing candidates for our summer internship positions.  In the next few weeks, we will hire our new interns. Knowing that we will have talented college students join our team for the summer, gets me excited! 

 

The interns will take on projects like the Iowan of the Day program, recruiting/organizing volunteers, Corndog Kickoff promotions – the list goes on and on. New to the task list is the Fairgrounds 5K. One of our interns will help with the planning and executing of a 5K race during the Iowa State Fair! It’s a huge event to add to our busy Fair schedule but I’m ready to see how the 5K can grow into an even bigger fundraiser for the Foundation. 

 

I hope everyone (pipes included) stay warm over the next few days. I’ll be keeping busy and warm at my desk. 

 

The stack of internship applications on my desk:

 

Snow covered construction: