IPF carpenters turn old desks into big savings

Maintenance and Repair carpenter and overall handyman Bruce Feldpausch was passing the MSU Surplus Store recently when he noticed over 40 old classroom desks sitting outside awaiting sale. He knew that these desks had serious value to his crew, and their components could be put to good use elsewhere on campus. 

“It’s common for the seats of classroom desks to crack and split,” Feldpausch said. “Every year there are seats that have to be fixed or replaced.” 

“We have some little pieces and parts that can help repair a desk, but the seat or back panels are hard to safely fix without replacing them completely,” Feldpausch said.  

“Some of our suppliers will sell the desk seats for $600 each, which doesn’t include anything else like additional hardware,” explained Maintenance and Repair carpenter Joe Pontek. “So, it was like finding a motherlode to see these used desks in really good shape.” 

The desks, originally in Plant Biology, were replaced during recent remodeling in the building. The Surplus Store was selling the desks for $10 each. Feldpausch and Pontek, working with assistant store manager and “waste entrepreneur” James Ives, were able to arrange for the transfer of the desks to IPF at no cost.

Through the ingenuity of these carpenters, and the generosity of the Surplus Store, the university realized a savings of over $25,000 from the salvage of these desk components. 

“We try to reuse objects as much as we can while keeping the safety of students, staff and faculty in mind,” Pontek said. “This was a really cool instance where being sustainable resulted in big savings.”