The maintenance staff of MGIO boast a very broad range of talents. The crew, Shane Olson, Armando Alvarado, Doug Roden, Jose Trujillo, April Morton, Larry Thomas, and Orlando Gutierrez are the "jacks of all trades." From plumbing to diesel mechanics; heavy equipment operation to telecommunications system maintenance; road maintenance to telescope maintenance; even design and fabrication of intricate assemblies; and finally -- complete re-builds on equipment in addition to maintaining a 24 hour on-call duty system. In addition they are qualified medium voltage electrical workers. They do it all!...
Preventative maintenance (in systems such as power generation, fire suppression, utility plant operation and heavy equipment) is what keeps the site operating at an extraordinarily high level of reliability. Road maintenance (especially in the winter season) requires a high level of expertise.
Each maintenance technician is required to participate in the 24 hour on-call "Duty System". The "Duty Person" insures the smooth operation of all self contained systems at the remote observatory site. The crew also maintain and repair the heavy equipment, buildings, utility systems and grounds.