Air Traffic Control Developmental
Distraction
ATC Issue All Types
General None Reported / Taken
Environment - Non Weather Related; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
TOWER BLINDS AND TOWER PESTS: The blinds in the Tower are inadequate! They do not properly block the strong rays of the sun; especially at sunrise and sunset. Flies get caught in between the blinds and the window pane and struggle relentlessly causing a symphony of very distracting and high pitches buzzing. If it were just a few flies; the noise would be bearable. But it's not. It's hundreds; and I know this because I (and some of my co-workers) take out the time when there is no traffic to vacuum the sills; stairs; floors and other horizontal surfaces their little bodies land on in our Tower. Additionally; on one day my Supervisor came in early; just to scrape flies off of our pitiful blinds. And then he graciously vacuumed them up. After he left; I sprayed the remaining flies with bug killer. Our pest problem has been addressed multiple times since I have been here at this facility. Fly paper doesn't work effectively anymore. Our Tower has been 'bug bombed'; the ceiling has been filled in with foam at least twice. But the problem is the structure! Our roof needs to be redone. We need new blinds. Why do some of [us] have to wear sunglasses in our Tower with closed blinds?  We shouldn't. We shouldn't have to chase and kill bugs. No one in the regional offices has to deal with these situations!  Why should ATC; the bread your butter supports have to deal with this too? New roof and new blinds for the Tower.
GSP Controller voiced concern regarding the tower blinds; claiming they are inadequate and also indicted the fly problem is distracting and needs to remedied.