Review: The secret life of the American construction worker
Written by Taylor Gaudens, Sep 12, 2011, 0 Comments
[box_dark]“Multipurpose Student Center Live Webcam”
Airdate: all day, everyday
Channel: www.usfsp.edu/aboutusf/construction.htm
Starring: Rowe Architects Inc. and Creative Contractors
Directed by: no one—reality TV as it should be[/box_dark]
A new fall semester means new fall shows. While waiting for the networks’ latest creations or for old favorites to return in a few weeks, viewers check out the drama that unfolds daily at the Multipurpose Student Center construction site.
Visitors to the university’s website can glimpse the 180-degree view via a live 24-hour webcam. With a full-color, rotating camera, the hard working men putting up the new building are on display for the whole world to see.
Hard hats, denim and heavy duty work boots are visible on a sunny weekday at the USFSP construction site via the webcam on the construction workers, who continue picking their noses and digging out their wedgies like no one is watching. But au contraire, the university’s own cam is now the class distraction.
Let’s set the stage: The only visible landmark is All Children’s Hospital. The view of the former basketball and volleyball courts, now the dumpster area, is like a deserted town, waiting to be inhibited. Wait until the camera pans to the right, and the skeleton of the Multipurpose Student Center comes into view.
Around lunchtime is when the real fun starts. All the workers line up for their meals around noon. They take a minute to rest in the shade and reflect on the day thus far. A group of four men gather, ages ranging from about 30 to 47. They periodically interrupt each other’s daydreams by calling out to a girl walking by. But these aren’t the cookie cutter construction workers found on any old TV sitcom.
First, there is the hard worker. He’s out in the sun, all day, every day. He wears jeans and a long sleeve shirt to protect himself.
Then there is the boss. He is the one in the white polo. He knows what he is doing, and that is why he has the authority to point around and tell the others what to do.
The crane controller has the ultimate cool job. He controls the rate at which large objects are moved and essentially dominates the entire construction site. Sometimes the power gets to his head. The other construction workers envy him.
And finally, the slacker. You can see him poke his head out of the shade every once in a while, but really, it is only to go to the port-a-potty, or trip to the dumpster for the appearance of work.
When the heat gets to the workers toward the end of the day, sometimes they like to take dance breaks at the top of the construction site, with choppy, uncoordinated movements. It’s almost daring for them to perform at such heights. But these construction workers are people, not machines. Two men, both in hard hats, one in an orange vest and another a white polo shirt, walk side-by-side talking about Tampa’s loss of a great sports hero, Lee Roy Selmon.
It’s apparent from the expressions on their faces that the workers long to be inside in the air conditioning. Some enjoy the hands-on work, but no one likes working outside during the summer months in the Florida heat. They talk about the anticipation of winter in hopes it will bring more than holiday cheer.
Hopefully the drama will continue when construction on the Campus Activities Center starts. Get a taste of the live webcam and check out www.usfsp.edu/aboutusf/construction.htm.
Image courtesy of USFSP
