EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) - While the Eau Claire County Courthouse is closed to the public and only partially occupied by county staff due to COVID-19, several people have continued fulfilling an increasingly vital role in recent weeks: custodians.
The maintenance crew consisting mainly of five full-time employees handles the majority of cleaning and disinfectant duties in several county buildings on Oxford Avenue. Working weekdays from 3 to 11:30 p.m., they vacuum, take out garbage, clean bathrooms and disinfect surfaces to minimize the chances of illness.
Jayson Scholtz, county facilities manager, has held his role for about nine years and never faced anything remotely similar to this.
“I would’ve never thought I’d experience anything like this,” Scholtz told the Leader-Telegram. “This is something that’s totally new.”
Priorities have shifted, but schedules stayed the same and the job hasn’t felt too different, according to David Peck, maintenance technician leader. Beck has had his title for about four years and said cleaning is a little easier because fewer people use the courthouse, but disinfecting is more prevalent and time-consuming.
At 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 10 p.m., workers disinfect high-touch areas like hand railings, doorknobs, light switches and elevator buttons. They grab a rag and a bottle of disinfectant and go to work, starting at one end of a floor and working down to the other end.
To limit physical interaction, maintenance workers no longer have daily meetings before the shift begins, and employees take breaks at different times. Generally, four people separately handle four floors and the fifth person helps out where needed.
Scholtz said the experienced maintenance staff has responded well, but the constant adjustments have presented difficulties.
“It’s been so fluid of a situation that it changes very quickly,” Scholtz said. “Being able to keep up with those changes and try to accommodate everyone’s needs, that’s probably been the biggest challenge.”
Scholtz is still getting used to the lack of activity in the normally bustling courthouse. He said time has felt different because so few people walk through the building doors, noting that 9 a.m. now resembles 7 a.m. because of low foot traffic.
“It was just weird,” Scholtz said. “It felt like it was early morning, but yet you’re in the middle of the morning.”
Scholtz said the county started placing orders in late February for materials like hand sanitizer, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, toilet paper and hand soap. The disinfectant is of stronger quality and now can kill viruses and bacteria.
Peck said the level of demand for some supplies has surprised him.
“Products became so in demand, where before it was always like a natural expectation that you’d always have them,” Peck said.
Maintenance operations will continue indefinitely in their current format until fewer health precautions are needed, whenever that might be. The uncertainty is difficult, but there haven’t been any major surprises for maintenance employees.
“Everyone’s just doing their thing and hoping for the best,” Scholtz said.
Custodians have little interaction with the public, especially now, but Peck said some county workers have thanked them for doing their jobs.
“I think it’s noticed, and I hope it’s making a difference,” Peck said.
As the coronavirus impacts all aspects of society, the custodial employees will fill their essential roles and make the courthouse safe for employees and citizens.
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