Critical Importance of Well-Maintained Facilities - Thurnau

2011 Critical Facilities Issues Summit

March 31, 2011Carl T. Thurnau and Facilities

Staff

Current Status

• Backlog Architects: 7 weeksEngineers: 14 weeks

• 1,281 approved projects from &/1/09 to 6/30/10 with a value of $2.05B ROS

• Total staff of 15

Current Status

• We currently have no dedicated personnel for:

• Fire safety,• Safety and health, • Final cost report auditing,• Certificates of Occupancy, • And Carl has no administrative assistant.

Hot Topics!

• Folding Partitions – alleged widespread noncompliance with Commissioner’s Regulation 155.25. Lawsuit to be defended by Attorney General’s office

Hot Topics!

• Chapter 85 of the Laws of 2010.

• PESTICIDE PROHIBITION AND EXCEPTIONS: Schools and day care centers are prohibited from using pesticides on playgrounds (includes playground equipment), turf, and athletic orplaying fields.

Last year’s critical summit

Surviving This Economic Climate

School Facilities Training SummitThursday March 26, 2009

Presented by:Carl T. Thurnau, P.E.

Facilities Planning CoordinatorCharles A. SzuberlaExecutive Director

School Operations and Management ServicesNew York State Education Department

Last year we went:“BACK TO BASICS:”

• 5 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN

• AVI

• UPCOMING BCS

This year: Back to Basics again!CR155.1 - Educational facilities

(1971)• Facilities shall be designed and

constructed to provide for the health and safety of occupants, with consideration of educational and planning efficiency, conservation of natural resources, practicality, and initial and long-range economy, and shall support an environment within the facility which is conducive to learning.

NY-CHPS

New York’s

high performance school design process

CHPS BEST PRACTICES MANUAL – M & O, 2004

• Introduction:

“A high performance school starts with an energy and resource efficient design, but without effective maintenance and operations (M&O) many of the benefits can be lost or eroded over time.”

CHPS BEST PRACTICES MANUAL – M & O, 2004

• Introduction:

• Human Health and IAQ, • Thermal comfort• Visual comfort• Acoustic comfort

CHPS BEST PRACTICES MANUAL – M & O, 2004

• Introduction continued:

• Safety and security• Ecosystem protection• Energy efficiency including day lighting,

electrical lighting, building enclosure, and HVAC systems

• Water conservation• Materials efficiency

Health and IAQ

• Per US EPA- Concentration of pollutants can be 2-5 times higher in indoor air.

• Unique susceptibility of Children• Failure to maintain high IAQ can lead to:

negative student performance, negative teacher performance, higher potential for long and short term health issues, higher absenteeism, accelerated facility deterioration, reduced plant efficiency, negative publicity, and greater liability.

How to efficiently combat those complex problems?

• Nothing exists in isolation. Look at the global problem in terms of a global solution.

• Try self diagnostic tools for schools• Provide the appropriate air changes per code for

the use of the space• Select materials/maintenance products with low

VOC’s or Toxins.• Staff training for new products (or even old

products!)• Replace filters on appropriate schedule

How to efficiently combat those complex problems?

• Work with teachers and purchasing: art supplies, cleaning supplies, chemistry biology supplies, wood shops and wood finishing, welding shops, etc.

• Check temperatures, CO, CO2 levels, humidity, mold, etc as necessary

• Re-balance the entire HVAC every 5 years? Look into doing as part of the BCS?

CHPS BEST PRACTICES MANUAL – M & O, 2004

• Facilities management

• “A district wide plan for maintenance and operations is essential”

Sounds like?

• Commissioner’s regulation section 155.4(d)(2)

Comprehensive Maintenance Plan!

Other critical Chapters in the Best Practices Manual:

• Equipment procurement• Building envelope• Electrical systems and lighting• HVAC and mechanical equipment• Plumbing• Recycling and waste management• Cleaning practices and products• Landscaping• Snow Management and de-icing

RESOURCES?

• US Dept of Energy, energy smart schools, • National clearinghouse for educational

facilities• National Clearinghouse for educational

statistics• ASBO International• American school and University,• Search of NCES Yields additional

resources such as:………….

RESOURCES?

• New York State Association for Superintendents of School Buildings and Grounds http://sbga.org/Active state-wide organization with local chapters,

training publications and videos, conferences, job-bank, directory and buyers guide.

• New York State Education Department, Office of Facilities Planning http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/facplan/This office of the New York State Education department coordinates statewide planning, design, and construction for New York Public Schools. This ....

Further evidence of the benefit of High Performance - Green Schools

Green Schools as High Performance Learning Facilities, Douglas E. Gordon, Hon. AIA dated September 2010.

• Compiled studies from Illinois; Washington, D.C.; Washington staOregon; Pennsylvania and North Carolina and found that:

• Student attendance rose by 5 percent after cost effective indoor air quality improvements,

• Better school facilities can add 3 to 4 percentage points to a school’s standardized test scores, even after controlling for demographics,

Green Schools as High Performance Learning Facilities

• Green schools effected a 15 percent reduction in absenteeism and 5 percent increase in student test scores,

• Students moving into a new green school experienced a 15 percent reduction in absenteeism from their previous school.

Green Schools as High Performance Learning Facilities

• Students moving from a conventional school to a new LEED™ Gold building experienced substantial improvements in health and a 19 percent increase in average student oral reading fluency scores, and

• Student test scores before and after students movedinto the country’s first LEED Gold K-12 school provided compelling evidence that learning and test scores improve in greener, healthier buildings. (Kats,2006)

Direction of Facilities Planning

• Review the Regents State aid proposal• Review the Governor’s proposed budget• Review Commissioner’s regulation 155.23

**** Multi- year cost allowance****• Minimum useful life questions

Examples: Roofs, heating systems, turf

Direction of Facilities Planning

• Minimum time between MCA’s? 5 years to correspond with the BCS data

• Review of State Aid impacts and local tax impacts? E.g.: are you asking to build new space while at the same time laying off teachers and maintenance?

Direction of Facilities Planning

• Does it make common sense?If the only reason for doing a project is that someone else is paying the bulk of the cost, then keep looking for someone else!

• Does it make fiscal sense for all concerned? Eg: Biomass boiler systems that require significant construction to house the equipment……..

Regents Mandate Relief

• Proposal to eliminate the AVI• Eliminate compliance with “Smart Growth”• Eliminate the school facilities report card• Eliminate state reporting requirements for

AHERA• Avoid HUD, go with EPA for Lead

Mt. Vernon HS Auditorium

Where is the Rooftop unit?

Penetration through roof

Hole large enough for mini bus

Stone lintel Crushed student desk

Let’s not forget the routine issues!Fire safety is job 1 everyday!

Office of Facilities Planning

www.emsc.nysed.gov/facplan(518) 474-3906