Gilbert Complex furniture resolution

Hi, it’s Mark Mankin, Coordinator for Facilities at UD sharing with you a video blog for this week. Here I am standing outside the fence where the Gilbert Complex is being torn down behind me. A lot of students, staff and or faculty at UD might wander as they pass by this site where six dorms once sat, what happened to all the furniture that provided room for 600 students. I can assure you that a lot of planning went into what would happen to the furniture so that the environment would not be adversely affected by moving out 600 sets of beds, mattresses, desks, desk chairs and four lounges full of seating and study carrels. Our first goal was to re-use and re-distribute public area furniture from those lounges to other areas of campus that could benefit from having newer and more functional pieces. Sofas, chairs, and desk carrels were distributed to Thompson, Lane, Harrington, and the Rodney Complex. The beds and mattresses from three of the six buildings were re-used in the Russell Complex as they were only 4-5 years old. The beds and mattresses from one of the buildings were kept in a UD furniture warehouse for future use again, due to their recent purchase. The desks for the six buildings were sold to a furniture liquidator in New York that refurbishes and re-sells dorm furniture giving the new pieces a future life, probably at another college or university. The other two buildings worth of beds and mattresses were donated to an Indian Reservation in New Mexico and to the State of Delaware Division of Youth, Children and Families to be used right here in Delaware. The State also received dressers from the buildings in addition to the beds. Basically every piece of furniture out of the Complex was reused, sold, or donated; so that nothing was thrown away. It’s all part of UD’s commitment to sustainability. Thanks for listening. Have a nice day!