Spotlight on Ohlone

Influential director retiring after 30 years

By Barry Kearns, Staff writer.

Thursday, November 1, 2007 — Monitor.

Simon Barros is retiring after 30 years with Ohlone. — Photo by Barry Kearns.

This December, amid the excitement of the opening of the new Newark Ohlone Campus, the director of facilities, Simon Barros, will be retiring after 30 years of service.

Barros started at Ohlone College on Aug. 17, 1977; he recalled the date because it was the day after Elvis Presley had died. He had applied for a job as an electrician; he then moved up to become a lead, then the assistant director of facilities and, in 1991, he became the director of facilities. Currently, Barros oversees 30 people in the maintenance of the college including custodial, grounds and other trades. He will be retiring on Dec. 27 of this year.

Barros said that between all of his accomplishments, the Newark Ohlone College will be the highlight of his career.

Using the LEED rating system, which stands for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design, Barros said that his original goal had been for a gold rating, but his own expectations were surpassed as the building now holds a platinum status. The LEED rating was created by the U.S. Green Building Council and is a benchmark for all aspects of green buildings. Barros has had a role in construction of the building since it was conceived.

While he won’t be here to oversee the building of the Student Services Building, he said that he’s set up everything so that he can “step back and let someone else finish the project.”

When asked about his favorite part of the job, Barros had no hesitation in saying that it’s the people he’s been able to work with. He also added that with his position “every day is something new” and that he consistently wakes up looking forward to coming to work.

When asked about what makes him proud of his time here, Barros said that he is proud of many things, but especially of his staff and what they’ve accomplished. In his office, he keeps a small collection of antiquities dug up on the grounds, among them some old bottles and doorknobs. In his time at Ohlone, he has also taken many photographs that have documented the changes and growth of the campus. He remembers the Ohlone campus smaller and has seen many changes, starting in 1994 with the addition of the Smith Center and improvements in the lighting system.

Barros holds degrees in supervisor management and in horticulture. Horticulture had started off as a hobby, but as Barros became more adept in the field, he was able to use his knowledge in the landscaping of the college.

As an electrician, Barros has also worked overseas in Hong Kong with the Navy, the Aleutians and in Vietnam. He also worked in a factory owned by the St. Regis Company for three years before coming to Ohlone. He recalled the stark juxtaposition of the confined working area of the company and how open the Ohlone campus was and said that added much enjoyment to his time here.

As much as he enjoys his work here, Barros also said that he is “most definitely” looking forward to retirement.

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Related Links at Ohlone College

• Facilities
• Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology
• Gary Soren Smith Center for Fine and Performing Arts