74 



Annals of the Smithsonian Institution 2000 



Miscellaneous Services 



As usual, OEC worked with numerous Smithsonian offices 

 to provide an eclectic assortment of services, often not re- 

 lated to exhibitions and typically at a lower price and within 

 a tighter timeframe than could be offered by its outside 

 counterparts. The office welcomed the new secretary by de- 

 signing and producing projects ranging in scale from a new 

 nameplate to a mini-exhibit in his office consisting of some 

 four dozen art works, objects, and specimens from SI collec- 

 tions. OEC redesigned and fabricated the awards for the 

 Secretary's Award for Excellence in Access for People with 

 Disabilities, and was heavily involved in three SI Commu- 

 nity Committee activities: the Unsung Heroes program, 

 Artists at Work 2000 (staff art show), and the Exhibition 

 Awards Program. At the second annual Day of Excellence 

 Awards, OEC modelmaker Jim Reuter received the Secre- 

 tary's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Safety, Fire 

 Protection/Fire Prevention, or Environmental Management 

 for his efforts in improving OEC's safety environment. 



Outreach and Training 



OEC shared its intellectual and hands-on expertise with the 

 world outside the Institution in a number of ways. One of its 

 senior editors chaired a panel on exhibition criticism at the 

 American Association of Museums annual conference in Bal- 

 timore; other staff wrore labels and installed exhibit cases in 

 Congressman Patrick Kennedy's Capitol Hill office. In a de- 

 parture from the usual summer intern activities, OEC had its 

 eight interns design, edit, fabricate, and install an informative 

 and entertaining mini-exhibition at its North Capitol Streer 

 offices. Featured in the October 2000 issue oiThe Torch, this 

 realistic summer project emphasized teamwork, working with 

 a demanding client, and meeting tight time constraints. 



Office of Facilities Services 



Richard H. Rice, Jr., Senior Facilities Services Officer 



The Office of Facilities Services, along with other organiza- 

 tions in the Facilities Services Group, focused much 

 attention to managing for results and srrategically aligning 

 the entire organization to move toward a more performance- 

 based, customer-oriented system. The Office also led the 

 strategy to increase funding for repair of the Smithsonian's 

 physical plant, which resulted in appropriation of $57-6 mil- 

 lion for FY 2001, including $7.6 million for the National 

 Zoological Park. 



Office of Physical Plant 

 Michael J . Sofield, Director 



The Office of Physical Plant creates and maintains the infra- 

 structure and environment within which the Smithsonian 

 museums, research insritutes, and offices pursue their goals. 



The work of the office includes capital construction projects; 

 repair, restoration, and alteration of buildings; crafts and 

 trade work to maintain facilities; operation of utilities sys- 

 tems; landscaping and gardening for Smithsonian properties, 

 transportation and mail services; and architectural research 

 and hisroric preservation. During the year, the office began 

 consttuction of the National Museum of the American Indian 

 Mall Museum and the National Air and Space Museum 

 Steven E Udvar-Hazy Center. The Office of Physical Plant 

 supported the fit-out of the Victor Building and moved many 

 of its staff into this new location when the building opened. 

 OPP reached agreement with GSA on construction and 

 operation of a chiller plant that will service rhe NMAI Mall 

 Museum and existing facilities on the south side of the Na- 

 tional Mall. The Horticulture Services Division presented a 

 highly successful orchid exhibition in cooperation with the 

 U.S. Botanic Gardens. 



Office of Protection Services 



David F Morrell 



Deriving its legal authority from Title 40, U.S. Code, Sec- 

 tion 193, the Office of Protection Services (OPS) has as its 

 mission: "Prorecting and securing the National Collections 

 and other properties entrusted to the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion and ensuring the safety and security of staff and visitors, 

 while permitting an appropriate level of public access to col- 

 lections and properties." 



During this year, the Office of Protection Services recruited 

 and hired 59 Museum Protection Officers (MPOs). In October 

 1999, OPS began working with the U.S. Office of Personnel 

 Management to develop an entry-level resr for applicants for 

 the MPO position. In May 2000, OPS began administering 

 the entry-level test to all applicants for MPO positions. 



The OPS Training Division conducted four two-week 

 basic training courses for all new MPOs. The two-week 

 training courses focused on basic security operations within a 

 museum setting. OPS continued its contract with Wacken- 

 hut Services Incorporated to provide supplemental training 

 to OPS staff. In a five-day Senior Level Security Leadership 

 Course developed by OPS and Wackenhut, 12 Senior Level 

 Security Managers received leadership training. In addition, 

 OPS and Wackenhut also developed and conducted 12 three- 

 day Supervisory/MPO Teamwork Courses for 400 

 supervisors and MPOs. 



In January 2000, OPS worked closely with Office of Plan- 

 ning, Management and Budget to develop and issue the 

 Smithsonian Policy "Drug Tesring for Designated Security 

 Employees." In March 2000, OPS conducted 10 training 

 sessions for all OPS and National Zoo Park Police employees 

 who are required to carry firearms or otherwise have access to 

 firearms. Employees were briefed on the drug testing policy 

 and the procedures for drug testing. In April 2000, OPS 

 began monthly random drug testing of employees and appli- 

 cants in testing designated positions. 



