FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE MANAGER, WHYME COX

NOT ONLY MAINTAINING THE AIRPORT BUT MAINTAINING STANDARDS

This means he was representing the interest of the airport authority on the project.

As maintenance manager, Cox is in charge of the total Maintenance Department which is subdivided into smaller departments. These comprise the Fields and Grounds Department, the Garage, the Plumbing Department, Electrical Department and Building Department. All these departments have a supervisor designated by Cox based on what needs to be done who execute according to his requirements which, of course, are informed by the demands of the organization and the standards that have to be maintained.

When the expansion project got underway, it was recognized that it was too much for one person to execute the role of maintenance manager and site representative simultaneously. It was therefore decided to have one of the better performers in the Maintenance Department take over temporarily while Cox who is a Civil Engineer by training dedicates his time to the expansion project.

Cox’s role was then to basically monitor the project and the entire construction process; ensuring that sites were ready for the operations that were due to be carried out there at a particular time such as the pouring of concrete. He had to ensure that everything was up to specification as laid out in the drawing and documentations before giving the okay for the process to proceed.

Now that the majority of the construction works has been done Cox is now in the process of fitting back into his regular management of the Maintenance Department. Cox said that being a Civil Engineer, the assignment just meant that he was getting into what he was trained for and so did not present an unusual challenge being in his line of expertise.

Cox sees his direct involvement in the expansion project as having enhanced his experience for his career in terms of airport maintenance and civil engineering. He did gain quite a wealth of experience and knowledge, he said, being one of those at the forefront of a project of this magnitude and cost.

The maintenance managers admits that working on such a project and being in contact with so many different persons sometimes puts a strain on the tolerance level of a person, and can fray the nerves a little when things are not getting done the way one would like it to. It did help him then that he is of a tolerant and composed temperament naturally. Therefore, his focus was on following procedures, doing things the way they ought to be done, kept calm and that minimized potential problems with others.

The Point Salines International Airport, being the air visitor’s first physical contact with Grenada, Cox considers it very important that a good impression is made from there. He said the visual reality of what the Airport Authority is doing presents those involved with a good feeling. He recalls that during the process several people voiced and showed annoyance at the inevitable inconveniences that got into their way from time to time. However as the project evolved and began to take shape they realized that all the negativities were worth it when they considered the significance of the project and what it means for Grenada’s Civil Aviation and Tourism Industries.

“Now”, Cox said, “people are voicing considerable approval and admiration for what is taking place and even trying to get more information about the project”. He certainly looks forward to the total completion of the operation which he said “will definitely present a more complete package to the individual using the airport”. He said “if one remembers how the airport was one year ago and consider how it is now they will see a considerable difference caused by the upgrading and when the project is completed that difference will be even more pronounced”. “The facility will be much more user friendly, in terms of shopping, seating, the flow of passengers and the very ambience of the place”.

The maintenance manager does not foresee is job as being much more challenging because of the increased size of the airport, especially not in the near term since the place will still be new. In addition because of the improved layout and set up it may be easier to locate and resolve any problem that may arise. Cox believes improvement and development is the law of efficient existence and expects the PSIA to be always on the ball in terms of this.