DECEMBER 1997

IN THIS ISSUE

• Awards
• Business Cards
• Cafeteria, Bldg 31
• Construction
• Deaf, Interpreting Service
• Telecommunications
• TRANSHARE UPDATE
• Transportation
• Travel
• Fax us a Line

Campus Parking Plan:
Entering a New Phase

The NIH community is passionate about parking. Questions flooded into ORS offices when parking capacity was reduced due to construction projects and when attendant-assisted parking plans were announced. It took time and adjustments on both sides to reach a state of peaceful acceptance, which has turned to satisfaction, with the new parking arrangements.

ORS has been evaluating the situation along the way and has already made some significant changes. Since September 24, more than 450 spaces have been added to the employee parking pool at the MLP-8 garage by decreasing the number of spaces allocated for visitors. During the initial planning process, it was common to count as many as 1500 cars without NIH parking permits on campus during the week. Following implementation of pay visitor parking along with the relocation of construction workers' cars to off-campus lots with shuttles, this number has dramatically decreased.

On Wednesday, October 1, another challenge began: attendantassisted parking of employee cars in the lots surrounding Building 31. This concept, which has been in effect at MLP-8 since August 4, caused some initial concern for Building 31 parkers. However, very soon after it began, employees were reporting that they were happy with the system. Many said they can park closer than before, get a space at later times in the morning, and get their cars quickly and easily at the end of the workday. Any waiting time that results from "stacking" is much less than the time it would take to search all over campus for a space. Attendant-assisted parking for employees at both MLP-8 and the Building 31 lots appears to be working its way into the NIH culture as an acceptable and valuable means of increasing parking capacity. There is increased turnover of spaces throughout the day and enhanced security at the parking facilities, particularly after dark. Side benefits include services such as jump starting dead batteries or unlocking cars that owners accidentally left locked.

The following is a review of the current attendant-assisted parking system:

Employees who arrive the earliest can park and lock their own cars in the usual striped spaces. When the facility is full, attendants direct employees to certain open places where they leave their cars along with the ignition keys, and receive a claim ticket. Vehicle keys are locked up by the parking attendant. As self-park spaces open up, stacked cars are moved into them. When employees who turned their keys over to an attendant depart, they present their claim ticket to an attendant who retrieves their keys and removes any vehicles blocking the car. At least one attendant will remain at each lot until 1:00 am.

Employees can self-park and lock their cars whenever there are available spaces: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Handicapped parking has been retained at or close to previous locations. Employees and visitors with appropriate tags or placards (handicapped: H/C) can park in visitor lots for free.

The entire parking system is monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis. In mid-October, new inventories were taken of peak hour traffic volumes, parking lot capacities, and parking permit categories on each lot. These are being evaluated to provide the basis for modifications or enhancements to the system. ORS has developed a questionnaire, which has been included in this newsletter, to solicit input on the existing parking system and to assess the potential of various commuting alternatives and incentives, as well as management strategies to reduce parking demand and improve the quality of life on the campus for everyone who frequents it: employees, visitors of all kinds, contractors, and patients seeking medical treatment.

Please continue to share your comments and suggestions with us.

Construction Updates:

Utility Tunnel Expansion Project:

Phase 12, the construction between NMR2 and Building 30, is almost complete. They are now backfilling the tunnel in that area, which may be finished by the time this NEWS goes to press. Phase 11 construction is taking place just to the west of the Phase 12 work site, north of Building 49. It began in mid-October and should be finished in May 1998.

During this time period, traffic flow will be impacted, and fifty parking spaces will be lost in the south section of Parking Lot 10C. In a few months, Convent Drive will be shifted to the east at the intersection of Convent and South Drive. This will allow construction on both sides of Convent Drive to continue with the least amount of interruption to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Information: Jay Jeffries 2-2824

Building 37:

Construction of Phase 2 (of 3 phases) for the basement is underway and on schedule, to be completed in the fall of 1998. The renovation of the 6th floor and new mechanical equipment room is in the design phase. Building 37 will be renovated floor by floor, top to bottom, except for the basement. An open house was held on the first two days of October to showcase the future state-of-the-art medical research laboratory, the Laboratory for Cell Research.

Information: Karen Rhodes 2-8135

Clinical Research Center:

The existing south entrance to the Clinical Center is going through major changes to transform it into a temporary main entrance during construction of the Clinical Research Center. This new entrance will include a large glass-fronted lobby with information and security booths, and a large waiting area. It will face four sheltered traffic lanes that will accommodate campus shuttles and regular traffic. During construction, which is scheduled to finish in May 1998, pedestrian traffic will continue to be diverted to the cafeteria entrance on the east side, and the entrance near 10A on the west. Parking lot 10H will be affected in stages. Its 300 spaces dipped to 190 in November, and rise to 240 in December.

Information: Yong Duk Chyun 6-8102, ext. 11

Building 14B:

This `animal house' was built in the early 1950's. Suffice it to say that it must be renovated to meet modern standards for animal facilities. The renovated Building 14B will furnish research holding facilities, veterinary care, animal husbandry, and consultation on biomedical experimentation with rodents and rabbits.

Information: Artemis Papademetriou 4-7566

Clinical Center EMS Project:

The Clinical Center Essential Maintenance and Safety project is approximately 45% complete. The original contract completion date was July 1998, however, due to the building's age and some problems, which were discovered during demolition, new work was delayed while repairs were completed. All efforts are still being made to meet the July 1998 completion date.

Lab and module work is basically complete on floors 3-7, with floors 8 and 11 to be completed by the time this newsletter is published. All occupied floors will be finished within the first quarter of 1998.

The new mechanical equipment will almost double the amount of conditioned air, thereby doubling the building's fresh air. This is not only a health benefit; it creates more comfortable temperatures as well. The new equipment also decreases the possibility of cross-contamination by increasing the amount of general exhaust and fume hood exhaust.

In addition, the environment will be safer and brighter, with its new ceilings, lighting, air diffusers, and an automatic fire suppression sprinkler system. Corridor work also includes the installation of a cable tray, which is the backbone of the new Telecom/LAN system, designed to give staff of the Clinical Center many more communications technology options.

Information: Dyal Sharma 6-0869

Building 50:

At the site of the former parking lot 13C, the Consolidated Laboratory Facility (Building 50) is in the excavation phase. Fairly soon, an end will come to the approximately 60 round trips that have been made daily by dump trucks going to and from Wisconsin Avenue. The entire project is scheduled for completion in August 2000.

  Information: Frank Kutlak 2-3691

There is Still Time to Foil the Flu:

Each fall, the NIH Occupational Medical Service (OMS) offers free flu vaccines to the NIHcommunity to decrease the incidence of flu among our employees, visitors, and patients. If you somehow missed getting vaccinated during the regular schedule of vaccinations at the Clinical Center and many other locations, you are in luck. Make-up dates are available after November 21, by appointment only. Flu is very infectious and can be passed easily from person to person through casual contact. It cannot be treated with drugs; they can only alleviate some of the symptoms. Unfortunately, people who get the flu are usually contagious two days before they have any symptoms. The flu can be debilitating even for the healthiest people, but it is particularly dangerous to the elderly or people with chronic medical conditions. After you receive the injection, protection takes about two weeks to become effective, and lasts approximately a year. Since flu viruses change each year, flu immunization is needed each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has predicted that among this year's strains, the predominant strain of flu will be influenza B. This year's vaccine protects against both influenza A and B. The only people who should not get vaccines are those who are allergic to eggs or thimerosal, an ingredient in saline solution. Other than those exceptions, everyone at NIH should protect themselves, especially those who work in the Clinical Center.           Information:       Occupational Medical Services 6-4411

Johnson Retires with Honors
Morris Johnson, who recently retired from the Division of Safety after 42 years of service to NIH, had quite a special retirement party. Surrounded by family and friends at Wilson Hall, Johnson was honored with letters from the White House, HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, and Eleanor Holmes Norton. Certificates of appreciation came from Dr. Varmus and Steve Ficca. Entertainment was provided by the "Asbestones" of the Division of Safety.

Asbestos abatement was one of Johnson's most recent accomplishments, for which he received the NIH Director's Award in 1994. Throughout his career, Johnson was involved in assuring a safe and healthful work environment for everyone at NIH. At one point, he sampled the Poolesville sewage treatment plant for pollutants, and inspected it, along with the property's wells and creek for water quality. He ran the safety shoe and safety eyeglasses program, conducted pest control efforts, and provided personal sampling for exposure to chemicals. He provided leadership as chairman of the human relations and training committee when he was with the Environmental Services Branch, and later, he served for three years on an EEO committee.

Johnson grew up on his family's farm in South Carolina, spent two years in the Army, and on February 19, 1957, he came to work for NIH as a medical biology technician. A highlight of his early years at NIH was his work with Edwin Lamphere to help develop the first pathogen-free animals for research. Some strains of those animals are still in use.

Johnson plans to spend his retirement in Washington with his wife and their two grown children, who both live in the area. He also plans to return to the family farm with his fishing pole.

Telecommunications Tips: New NIH Telephone Feature

Direct Call Park allows people to place an incoming call on hold even if they do not have two lines. Once the call has been parked, the line that answered the incoming call is free to be used to make or receive additional calls. Direct Call Park is available, at no cost, for ISDN and analog phones. Although there is no charge, you do have to order the service through TCB, by issuing a DELPRO request, so that the feature is activated on lines that need this capacity.

Call Answerback (*88) allows you to retrieve a parked call from any telephone within the NIH five-digit phone system. You simply dial "*88" and the fivedigit telephone number that the call is parked on, and it will come through to you.

Information: Dick Higdon 4-9496

Transportation news

Have You Visited Our Web Site?

Every relevant parking and transportation topic that we could think of is addressed in Cyberspace:

www.nih.gov/od/ors/parking

From our home page, in addition to learning about all of our programs and projects, you can connect to other web sites that contain valuable transportation information, such as:

•WMATA, for Metro information;

•many local county transportation systems;

•The Washington Post; and

•SmarTraveler Assistant (DC area directions).

Our web site has the facts about TRANSHARE, the campus parking plan, and the NIH Parking & Transportation Working Group. There are details about all five NIH shuttles, their schedules, and the off-campus parking locations they serve.

Want to get updates about construction projects that affect NIH parking and traffic? Just double click. We have tried to make our information, and related information, easy to find and easy to read. However, we cannot know if we are doing a good job without your comments. Please call 301-402-RIDE (7433) and tell us what you think. Thanks!

TRANSHARE renewal ended 11/28,

Even if you are late, you need to renew your membership. You will need a renewal form, your NIH photo ID, and a copy of your most recent pay slip. You can also join at any time: call ETSO for details, or visit our web site.

Clarification: Ridefinders Network

A recent letter to the Editor of The Record about carpooling prompted this clarification about ridesharing and relinquishing parking permits. Investigating the option of ridesharing (in a car or van) does not obligate you to abandon, or promise to abandon, your parking permit.

To explore this commuting option, which enables you to save money (with TRANSHARE eligibility) and park closer to your building, register with the NIH Ridefinders Network. In order to get you the information you need to make a decision, we enter your commuting information into our database, which feeds into the regionwide Council of Governments database. They provide you with a list of people whose commute is compatible with yours.
If and when you decide to try ridesharing, you give up your permit—for as long as you rideshare. You can also receive 24 oneday permits for days you need to drive in alone. Please call the ETSO for all the details.

New Rush Hour Express Bus Serves NIH

On October 6, a new rush hour express bus went into service between Gaithersburg and Bethesda. Metro's "Route J9" travels from Lakeforest Mall's Transit Center to Bethesda in the morning, and does the reverse in the afternoon. The schedule is every 15 minutes, from 5:41 am to 8:23 am, and in the afternoon between 3 pm and 5:45 pm, Monday through Friday. It runs along Route 270, and has three Bethesda stops: Suburban Hospital, Medical Center Metro, and the Bethesda Metro Station. The fare is $1.10 each way. This is the first bus route established to utilize the I-270 HOV lanes. Several other rush hour express bus routes are being considered by WMATA to better connect the suburbs. Service between Bethesda and Tyson's Corner is expected to start this spring. This is good news for people who work or visit the NIH.

In case you missed it, there is a new Ride On bus that is also a rush hour express: from the Germantown's Milestone Park `N' Ride Lot, which goes to the same three Bethesda stops. The schedule is every 30 minutes starting at 5:47 am for Ride On's Bus Route 70, which began in September. The future of these express buses, and others, depends on usage. If enough riders do not use them, they will be discontinued.

NIH Commuters who wish to take advantage of these or any new bus services will be happy to know that if they did, they would qualify for the NIH TRANSHARE Program, a subsidy that provides up to $42 per month for public transportation commuters. Call the number below for details.

Information:

Travel Updates

Ober Updates

CONTRACT NEWS: Due to a backlog of FTMC contract awards, GSA has extended the NIH Ober contract until March 28, 1998. GSA will recompete NIH's contract in the next few months and will award it in March.

FOREIGN TRAVELERS CHEQUES: In addition to British pounds, Canadian dollars, French and Swiss francs, German marks, and Japanese yen, Ober can now provide travelers cheques in Netherlands guilders in denominations of 100, 200, and 500. Refer to the July 1996 issue of the ORS "News: to Use!" (available on the Web) for details on how to request this free service.

OBER Information:

"Why don't you give it to me straight?" is a question often asked by travel assistants who must navigate the cumbersome regulations that control official travel. Now, thanks to the multi-agency Joint Financial Management Improvement Program Task Force, GSA has rewritten the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) in common-sense "Plain English."

The new regulations use conversational English. They explain travel rules and responsibilities in a question-and-answer format in which each Q&A combines to establish a rule.

The GSA-sponsored travel course, Temporary Duty Travel: FTR, has been updated with the new "Plain English" format. This four-day course will be offered at the GSA Interagency Training Center in Crystal City on the following dates: December 9-12, and January 27-30. The cost is $445.

Information:

202-619-8900

Electronic Ticketing
Electronic ticketing (also called e-ticketing or ticketless travel) is the new generation of tickets. Domestic e-ticketing is currently available for use on the following airlines: Alaska, American, American West, Continental, Northwest, Southwest, TWA, United, United Express, and US Airways. E-tickets offer many advantages to Federal travelers. They eliminate:

1) the need for traditional ticket delivery methods;

2) courier or overnight delivery of a last minute ticket;

3) waiting in line at the airport for prepaid tickets to be issued;

4) the worry about the ticket being lost or stolen; and,

5) the need to turn in unused coupons to receive a refund for cancelled travel.

When an e-ticket is issued, all the traveler needs to do is show up at the boarding gate—no later than thirty minutes prior to flight time—present a photo ID, and then be issued a boarding pass. If the traveler has luggage to check, this can be done with curbside check-in. There is no need to stand in line at the ticket counter. Ober will fax the itinerary/invoice to the traveler to serve as a receipt for reimbursement purposes. We encourage travelers to give it a try!

Information:

FY98 Contract City Pair Airfares have been awarded. The most commonly asked question we receive is "Why isn't every award for nonstop service?" Some reasons that connect service is awarded by airlines are:

· There is no nonstop carrier for a specific route.

· The nonstop carrier did not offer a bid on the city pair. Some carriers have so much traffic on certain routes that they do not want the Government business.

· The nonstop carrier did not meet the minimum requirements of the GSA RFP (Ex.: the nonstop flight might be too late at night to be beneficial for Federal travelers).

· The nonstop carrier charged an unreasonably high price.

· The connect service carrier offered a fare so low that it was the best overall value in terms of service and price, even considering all the advantages of nonstop service.

A final note: unless commercial traffic also warrants it, a carrier will not add a new route for the Government.

Information:

NIH Interpreting Services

The Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) and the Office of Research Services (ORS)—specifically the Division of Support Services (DSS)—are partnering to strengthen the process of providing the NIH community with interpreting services for the deaf/hard of hearing. Currently, these services are provided by the OEO, but in the spirit of the Porter Study and reinvention, the provision of interpreting services will eventually be managed by the DSS.
A transition team has been formed to create a new and improved system for the provision of these services. The team is chaired by Tim Tosten, Special Projects Manager, DSS, and has six other members representing the OEO, ORS, and the deaf/hard of hearing community. The team is deciding what type of mechanism to use to provide these services, and what services should be included. If anyone in the deaf/hard of hearing community would like to be kept informed of the status of the process, please contact Tosten at the number below.

Information:

ORS Welcomes NCRR Components

On October 1, four components of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) that serve the NIH intramural research programs were transferred to the ORS. The four components are the Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program (BEIP), the Beterinary Resources Program (VRP), the Medical Arts and Photography Branch (MAPB), and the Library Branch (LB)

These branches are now organizationally located in the ORS Division of Intramural Research Services (DIRS). Some NCRR administrative support staff were also transferred to ORS.

This change is a result of a recommendation from the Shared Resources Subcommittee of the Board of Scientific Directors. Since the ORS is dedicated to meeting the infrastructure and service needs of the NIH intramural research programs, this realignment is expected to facilitate and improve the effective delivery of the services provided by each of these components.

TRANSHARE News Flash!

It took a number of years and many requests to Congress, but the ORS has successfully achieved the right to allow some NIH employees in non-FTE positions to participate in the TRANSHARE program. These positions include trainees, visiting fellows, and volunteers as outlined in the FY98 NIH Appropriation Bill. This addition is only for the 1998 fiscal year, but it is hopeful that the authorizing language will become a part of NIH's appropriation language every year.

If you fall into one of these categories and would like to participate in TRANSHARE, please contact the Employee Transportation Services Office at the number below.

Information:

Business Card Purchases

The Office of the Legal Counsel (Department of Justice) recently ruled that appropriated funds could be used to purchase business cards for government employees who deal with outside organizations to "further the agency's statutory mission."

Beginning December 15, the Printing and Reproduction Branch (Printing Procurement Section) will accept orders for the purchase of business cards for official government use only. Paper samples, ink colors, prices, turnaround times, and standard forms will be available for customers at that time.

When ordering business cards, the request must include a Central Services Activity printing requisition (CSA Request), a typed copy of the information to be printed on the business cards, and camera ready copy of any logos required. The Office of the Legal Counsel recommended that an employee's work address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address be included on all official business cards. Orders should be sent to Building 31, Room B4BN08, to the attention of Sondra Taylor or James Jordan.

NIH employees who would like personal business cards for private outside activities must continue to purchase them from commercial sources using their own funds. The NIH Recreation and Welfare (R&W) is one source for personal business cards.

Information:
Sondra Taylor

ORS is Honored with National, Department Energy Awards

Fall of 1997 has proven to be very rewarding for the NIH and the Office of Research Services (ORS), which was the proud recipient of six prestigious awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments that resulted in efficient use of energy, and management innovation and proficiency. The projects that received awards ranged from major undertakings such as installation of chillers to relatively minor changes, such as replacing all Exit sign light bulbs with long life, energy efficient bulbs.

These endeavors—both big and small—when combined, are currently saving the NIH millions of dollars in reduced energy costs, and will continue to do so in the future. In 1997 alone, the savings were over $10 million. Individual and Group Awards are as follows:
—DHHS 1997 Energy and Water Management Awards:

Consolidated Laboratory Facility Project Building 50, Team Members, DES

Electrical Energy Reduction Plan Project DSFM and NHLBI Staff

LED Exit Light Retrofit Project

Thomas Myers

Chilled Water Generation/Distribution Improvement

Mehryar Ebrahimi

—The Department of Energy and the Federal Interagency Energy Policy committee Awards Recognizing 21st Century Citizenship: 1997 Federal Energy and Water Management Award

Presented to NIH, ORS,
Division of Engineering Services

—Vice President Gore's National Performance Review "Hammer Award"
Presented to NIH, ORS, Division of Engineering Services, Public Works Branch
Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the success of these important projects!

Building 31 Cafeteria: What's Up?

For the occupants of Building 31, the completion of the cafeteria renovation seems to be nowhere in sight, and they are left wondering if they will be retired before this project is ever completed. In the March 1996 issue of this newsletter, the Division of Space and Facility Management (DSFM) reported that they anticipated Phase One of this renovation would begin January 1, 1997, and would be completed by June 1997. Phase Two was scheduled to be completed by October 1, 1997. October 1 has come and gone and, unfortunately, we are still in Phase One of the cafeteria renovation.
What happened? As with any renovation in an older building, "unforeseen circumstances" affect completion dates. There are almost always unexpected problems in the form of hidden deterioration or systems weaknesses that cannot be detected until the demolition part of the construction is in process. The Building 31 Cafeteria was no exception: two asbestos abatements had to be conducted during this project, one below the facility and another in the kitchen. The abatement below the facility has been completed. Now the abatement within the kitchen must be performed before any services can be connected to its new air handling unit. Once this is done, the contractor will install fire protection sprinklers, upgrade the fire suppression system, and provide a new ceiling and light fixtures. The kitchen abatement project began in November, and will last approximately ten weeks.

During this project, Guest Services (GSI) will continue to provide food services. All the food will be catered from the Building 45 (Natcher) cafeteria, and disposable flatware and trays will be used. Minimal changes have been made to the menu selections in the Building 31 cafeteria. Patrons can still purchase hot entrees for breakfast, such as scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. At lunch, there are made-to-order deli sandwiches, soups, chili, hot entrees, and salads from the salad bar. The only items that are not going to be available during this ten week period are frozen yogurt, french fries, and grab-n-go hamburgers, cheeseburgers, veggi-burgers, and chicken sandwiches.

With this latest setback, the completion date for Phase One has been moved to early January 1998, and Phase Two is tentatively scheduled for completion by the end of June. The Office of Research Services apologizes for the disruption and inconvenience this has caused and thanks everyone for their cooperation and understanding.

Information: Pamela Jenkins 2-0878

Federal Frequent Fliers: Travel the Web

Here are some useful Web sites for government travelers:

Domestic and Foreign Per Diem Rates: http://www.fss.gsa.gov/

Click on Travel Services for per diem rates.

Airline City Pair Program: http://www.fss.gsa.gov/
Click on Services, then click on Airline City Pairs, then click on Contract City Pair for this information.

GSA's "Best Value" Hotel Program:
http://www.gsa.gov/regions/r9/travel/balv.htm Click on the State you want.

Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 National Master List:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/index.htm Fill in the Search Criteria. Remember that Federal travelers are encouraged to stay at approved firesafe accommodations.

Travel Information in Back Issues of the ORS "News: to Use!":
http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/newsltrs/newstous/issues.htm Click on the issue.

Ober's "FASTRES" Fax Form:
http://mantis.dcrt.nih.gov/nihforms/travelfm.html Click on OBFASTRS.FM. You will need Filemaker Pro to download the form.

Information for Travelers provided by Fogarty International Center:
http://silk.nih.gov/public/eue1juy.@www.travel.html

Information:
Anne Gillen: 2-1661 or e-mail: ag16g@nih.gov

Mission:

The purpose of this newsletter is to inform and communicate with the entire NIH community about ORS projects, policy changes and initiatives that are of immediate practical interest, along with some items that might be filed away for future use. The Office of Research Services directly affects you and the place where you spend your whole day—your office, your building, your entire organization. Therefore, your satisfaction is our utmost concern. Please let us hear your ideas and comments.

News: to Use!

is published on

recycled paper by the

Office of Research Services,

Stephen A. Ficca,

Associate Director

—Editor, Ann Cochran—

Internet address:

http://www.ors.od.nih.gov