cell doors Archives - School Construction News

Deferred School Maintenance: Pay Now or Pay More Later

School News — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 04:05:52 +0000

Deferred maintenance in K-12 schools has become a $271 billion problem, according to the 2016 State of our Schools: America’s K-12 Facilities report released by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, the 21st Century School Fund and the National Council on School Facilities. Adding lifecycle costs brings the estimate up to $542 billion. The report focuses on 20 years of school facility investments nationwide and the funding needed to make up for annual investment shortfalls in essential repairs and upgrades. Only three states’ average spending levels meet or exceed the standards for investment: Texas, Florida and Georgia.
New schools are exciting and beautiful, but the initial cost of construction accounts for only 10 percent of the facility’s lifetime cost. The remaining 90 percent must be funded so the building can serve students and educators as intended. Many districts struggle to fund ongoing facility maintenance. The State of our Schools report recommends adding at least $19 billion annually to the existing average of $42 billion appropriated to address deferred maintenance annually.
Most districts spend an average of 10 percent of their general operating funds for annual maintenance and operations each year. Most general operating funds are not budgeted to handle major repairs for components such as roofs and HVAC systems.
Typically, school buildings deteriorate at a rate of approximately 2 percent per year. If 2 percent of a facility’s total value is set aside each year, those funds can pay to replace facility components as they reach their end-of-life cycles. A building’s lifecycle might be 50 years, but individual components including roofs usually only last 20 years.
Inevitably, most school districts encounter monetary shortages at some point, and non-human assets usually bear the brunt of funding cuts. After all, roofs and boilers can’t petition their cases at board meetings when their budgetary needs aren’t met or make their voices heard during contract negotiations.
In the short term, moving a portion of maintenance funding to other operating funds may seem like an attractive option to get through hard times, but some districts make a habit of it. For example, some districts have moved upwards of 30 percent of their capital fund to operating funds, causing deferred maintenance needs to increase dramatically.
Many school systems dig out from large deferred-maintenance backlogs by combining one-time bond issues. Other districts implement permanent improvement levies where funds are used only for deferred maintenance and cannot be transferred to operating accounts. Permanent improvement levies enable districts to budget for big-ticket items when they are due for replacement, such as roofing and HVAC systems, and avoid compounded deferred maintenance costs. The biggest challenge is convincing taxpayers that a deferred cost is a compounded cost. If a district doesn’t set aside monies for roof repair and replacement beyond its useful life, the cost will compound due to water damage, mold permeation, etc.
Districts can save money if they include deferred maintenance costs in a facilities master plan. They decide what buildings should be kept “as is,” renovated, replaced, rebuilt or closed based on student demographic trends, total budget constraints, the district’s educational vision and the funds needed to support that vision.
When deferred maintenance issues are considered in isolation, the political will to address them wanes when compared to new construction and personnel investments. Packaging deferred maintenance within a broad facilities master plan provides an opportunity to closely link behind-the-scenes investments with high-profile matters of construction needs and educational vision. In the case of a broader capital campaign, districts have the opportunity make a compelling argument that funding for new construction must include funding to properly maintain facilities for the long haul.
Scott Leopold is a project director and GIS analyst for DeJONG-RICHTER. Since 2005 he has provided school districts with the technology tools they need for successful planning.

The post Deferred School Maintenance: Pay Now or Pay More Later appeared first on School Construction News.

Scroll Chillers: the K-12 Facility Manager’s Best Friend

As school funding dwindles, utility costs rise and operating budgets shrink, staff in K-12 schools become ever more resourceful in managing aging mechanical systems. With increasing pressures and workload, preventative maintenance is often low priority. Combined with outdated and inefficient HVAC equipment, schools find themselves with significantly higher energy costs. However, school staff can count on HVAC manufacturers to help overcome these obstacles with innovative, budget-friendly chiller designs that increase energy efficiency and simplify maintenance and service programs.

Chillers are arguably a school building’s largest energy draw, but need not be costly and complex to be effective. New and widely accessible innovations in air-cooled scroll chiller designs — ranging from 30 to 240 tons — match performance requirements, budget constraints and maintenance requirements.

Cost of Ownership
Compared to typical screw chillers, air-cooled scroll chillers offer better part load efficiencies at a lower cost. They are also easier to service by in-house staff since the compressor technology is similar to residential equipment, which reduces dependency and costs for outside support.

In addition to these price advantages, some of the newest scroll chillers also produce unprecedented energy efficiencies. Sound pressure ratings as low as 60 dBA (decibel A-weighting) — without any optional acoustic treatment — means these quiet scroll chillers are optimal for noise sensitive environments. Combine this with a design that minimizes initial cost and these new scroll chiller systems provide K-12 schools with the lowest cost of ownership —from installation to replacement.

Particularly important when space is at a premium, scroll chillers offer design flexibility and a range of features. For example, pumps can be factory-installed inside the chiller instead of the mechanical room, eliminating the need to work with a design engineer onsite. A chiller-installed pump saves time and money during installation and preserves space inside the mechanical room.

Simpler mechanical layouts and easier installation also reduce contractor-related fees. For example, contractors can bring scroll chillers online, instead of requiring startup by a manufacturer’s representative. Adding factory-installed options like the variable frequency drive (VFD) pump package to control flow, K-12 school staff eliminate cost and complexity of expensive flow meters typically needed for commissioning.

Other factory-installed options such as the fan VFD control enhance part load efficiency, regardless of the chiller size. Modulating the condenser fan speed, rather than turning it on and off, enables a more stable and efficient operation. This control also reduces energy consumed by the fan motor, reducing energy costs and noise.

Simplified Maintenance
Thanks to today’s equipment design, controls and refrigerants, chiller efficiencies have improved and now operate with tighter operational tolerances. To ensure dependable and efficient operation, maintenance is critical, which can add pressure for facility managers who need to manage a broad set of systems across a school environment. Even more challenging is that training may not be a priority for many K-12 schools; yet the complexity of screw chiller systems requires outside support for ongoing maintenance.

Air-cooled scroll chillers are a different story. Some of the newer scroll chillers use a simple, robust and principled design for a trouble-free operation. With all-aluminum microchannel heat exchanger technology and proven compressor equipment, these scroll chillers require minimal maintenance. In-house staff can better maintain and obtain parts, it easier to ensure the system runs consistently. Many scroll chillers also use environmentally responsible R-410A refrigerant — which has no ozone depletion potential or phase-out schedule — and meet ASHRAE 90.1 2013 and FEMP 2012 standards. Schools gain the double benefit of minimizing a facility’s environmental footprint while lowering annual energy costs.

Service Consultants
K-12 schools can extend the benefits of choosing air-cooled scroll chillers with the expertise of service teams who can match a plan to the school’s budget levels and desire to sustain the HVAC investment. Facility consultants and technicians can customize and deliver upon plans for annual maintenance, help bridge staffing gaps, or assist with capital asset planning and HVAC system replacements and upgrades. The most qualified experts will respond swiftly and quickly, and easily navigate today’s highest energy efficient systems and proprietary HVAC technologies, like the newest designs in scroll chillers.

Eddie Rodriguez is a director of product planning at Daikin Applied. He has a mechanical engineering degree and has worked in the HVAC industry for 22 years.

Robert Landes is a product manager for screw and scroll products and has been with the Daikin Applied chiller group since 2008.

The post Scroll Chillers: the K-12 Facility Manager’s Best Friend appeared first on School Construction News.

The K-12 Capital Improvement Outlook

When the Great Recession hit in late 2007, nearly every sector and industry — including K-12 schools — felt the impact. Today, however, an increasing number of school districts nationwide are again seeking voter approval for improvement and construction bonds. As they consider the needs and priorities of their individual districts, superintendents, board members and other school leaders are working to balance competing factors such as deferred maintenance, renovation vs. replacement, cost of ownership, security and creating facilities capable of supporting 21st century learning.

School Construction News recently spoke with representatives from Heery International — an Atlanta-based professional services firm specializing in program management, architecture, engineering and construction management — about how school districts are bouncing back and reinvesting in critical infrastructure. David Waggoner, former Council of Educational Facility Planners International president chair and vice president and national K-12 market director, based in Heery’s Houston office, and Rob Chomiak, senior vice president and national director of program management in the Atlanta office, shared their thoughts on securing capital improvement funding and keeping schools in top working order in a post-recession world.

Q. How are renovation, expansion and capital improvement needs among K-12 schools changing?

Waggoner: Catching up on deferred maintenance is certainly a trend…because [it has] been neglected over the last eight years when the recession hit. During those years districts have spent money on some things, but not necessarily on the systems that need to be maintained.

Chomiak: I think the type of district — whether it’s urban or more suburban — also impacts programs and priorities. You see different issues with different sized districts.

A lot of districts are dealing with growth. You see a demographic change, especially in urban districts, where schools are not always in the locations that they need to be. Districts are trying to figure out how to either maintain schools that aren’t being fully utilized — or even close them, which is always a huge political issue — and how to get more schools in areas that are growing faster. Land and other things always become an issue when you try to do that.

Q. How might K-12 renovation or expansion projects affect school safety and security?

Waggoner: My philosophy about safety and security is that it needs to be well coordinated with other aspects of a school. It’s a mistake to simply say that the facility will address all the safety and security needs. It really needs to be holistic in terms of operations maintenance, training employees and technology. All of the aspects of a school system and operation need to be engaged in a safety program.

Chomiak: The things that have been happening around the country and around the world [in terms of school violence] have greatly impacted what school districts are looking for in terms of safety and security, to a much more heightened level. A lot more renovation projects that we’re seeing now are very specific to those changes.

From a technology standpoint, it’s almost been an improvement. For a while the big push was to add technology, which meant adding a lot of low-voltage cabling to classrooms, a lot of infrastructure. As technology has progressed, it’s actually eased off of that because of improvements in wireless capabilities of systems. You don’t necessarily have to run as much cable or have as much backbone in the school as you used to.

Q. Can renovation and improvement projects really deliver 21st century learning spaces, or does modern education more often require new facilities?

Waggoner: We want to try to house 21st century learning styles and approaches in existing facilities, but it can be a challenge depending on how the existing building is constructed. A lot of it has to be addressed on a case-by-case basis simply because a lot of the older school buildings are built as double-loaded corridors. They may have masonry load-bearing walls that you cannot knock down. So, it’s much more difficult to provide open environments, transparent classrooms and various flexible learning spaces. Certainly it’s easier in a new facility, but it can be done in an older facility if [districts are] willing to spend the bucks and be really creative.

Read more about the outlook for post-recession K-12 capital improvement projects in the July/August issue of School Construction News.

The post The K-12 Capital Improvement Outlook appeared first on School Construction News.

NOLA Voters Support School Maintenance Proposition

NEW ORLEANS, La. — On Dec. 6, Nearly 60 percent of voters supported a ballot proposition that will fund school repairs and upkeep projects across New Orleans for the next decade. The proposition will renew a 4.97-mill property tax currently used to pay off district debt and funnel those funds, an estimated $15.5 million annually, directly into much needed school maintenance projects through 2025. With additional funds from a district sales tax redirected by the state legislature, schools will eventually have an estimated $30 million for repairs at their disposal per year.

This renewed tax will allow each New Orleans public school, the majority of which operate as independent charters, to establish and manage an account to support its maintenance needs. This would allow schools to direct their own maintenance projects, however, schools will not necessarily be given cart blanche in terms of spending. Instead, the money will earmarked specifically for larger, more costly repairs such as roof or boiler replacements.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and State Senator Karen Carter Peterson, a Democrat representing New Orleans and the fifth district, supported the proposition, as did a number of local civic organizations, including the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and the New Orleans Business Council. However, many throughout the community opposed the measure as it also includes the controversial Recovery School District.

The Recovery School District, a state agency established in 2003 by the Louisiana Department of Education to intervene in the management of low-performing schools, will also receive a portion of the proposition funding. This was a primary point of contention for many opponents who maintain that improved schools should return to local control. The Recovery School District took over almost 80 percent of the community’s schools following Hurricane Katrina and currently maintains control over 68 schools within the community.

Both the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board will now be required to hire staff and establish offices to manage a central account that will administer emergency repair funds. Should their own coffers prove insufficient, schools can seek additional funding from these central accounts in the event of a maintenance emergency. These offices will also ensure schools are spending proposition funds on projects that meet proposition requirements.

Though the 80-campus community is also benefitting from $1.8 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds for school construction, not all schools will be impacted by the money, which does not cover upkeep.

The post NOLA Voters Support School Maintenance Proposition appeared first on School Construction News.

Upgrading Campus Power Transformers

School News — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:24:10 +0000

LA VERNE, Calif. — In May 2013, a transformer explosion caused a power outage and forced evacuations at the University of La Verne in La Verne, setting several trees ablaze. Though no one was injured, it was a necessary reminder that schools and universities with aging transformers should quickly take steps to save utility costs and prevent power outages.

Although power transformers seldom go down, when they do the effects on campus operations can be immediate and devastating. Beyond the lost continuity of classroom instruction, the risk of subsequent fires, fines, security lapses and lawsuits can quadruple the damages.

At the same time, legacy power transformers represent a huge money drain on an institution’s operating budget when they force the campus to pay a steeper price for stepped-down electricity. With the current move by utility companies to deliver higher and higher voltages from the grid, many schools, colleges and universities must replace their transformers.

“We were looking at a multi-phase process to literally transform our entire campus from a 5KV to 15KV distribution system because our utility company would no longer supply the lower voltage,” said Ben Johnson P.E., assistant director of planning, design, and construction at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky. “Between that and the occasional failures within our system, not doing anything was no longer an option.”

Aging infrastructure also spurs the need for replacement at many institutions.

“The units in our substation were 40 to 60 years old, and were operating at 120 to 125 percent of capacity,” Johnson said. “Since the utility said they would no longer provide 5KV class service we had to change every primary transformer on campus. Our 4,160-volt system was in rough enough shape and fragile enough that it was not uncommon for us to have three to six major outages per year. That is obviously not acceptable.”

Faced with massive upgrades, whether demanded by an electricity provider or for preventative purposes, many campus facility engineers are now acquiring newer power transformers. Common types of power transformers found on campuses include liquid-filled and dry-type transformers. As dry-types are air-cooled, they pose less chance of leakage and fire risk.

“Whether wet or dry-type, the way the coils are wound around the core of the transformer greatly affects its robustness,” said Alan Ober, vice president of engineering and manufacturing for Electric Service Company (ELSCO). “Because of increased axial forces acting at the corners of rectangular-wound transformers, energy gets wasted and noise is created. On the other hand, voltage stresses are halved between the discs of round-wound designs. Hence, round disc-wound transformers stay cooler, run quieter, present less risk of short circuit and are more energy efficient.”

“Beyond the improved reliability factor, the increased efficiency of the round design saves costs in real time, as the plant consumes less electricity. Some round disc-wound transformers even exceed the proposed efficiency standards for Energy Star compliance, drastically lowering utility costs for a plant,” Ober added.

When it comes to the material used for the windings, copper is a superior conductor to aluminum because it offers less resistance, hence less heat. Additionally, aluminum corrodes which generates heat and reduces lifespan while posing a fire hazard.

Even insulation plays a major part in ensuring reliability as temperatures can reach 200 degrees Celsius in a dry transformer on a daily basis. Glastic fiberglass insulation or Nomex provide significantly greater protection from fires and short circuits than paper insulation.

Too often relegated to last-minute consideration is the need to ensure that any new power transformer fits into existing campus switchgear — carefully duplicating “form, fit and function” as much as possible.

“The main problem I’ve seen with some installations is adapting to existing facilities; it may seem like a small thing but it’s really huge,” Johnson said. “Our old on-campus equipment dated anywhere from the late 1920s to the 1980s. This is where a custom-designed transformer and bus bar, like we get with the ELSCO transformers, really shines. I’m an [electrical engineer] by trade and have been involved in electrical construction for over 25 years, so I have a respect for hardware.”

For those learning institutions that can’t replace their outdated transformers fast enough, accidents will happen, as when a blown transformer caused a power outage at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2012, immediately halting classes.

To rapidly stem such losses, transformer companies exist that specialize in emergency replacement. For mission critical applications, such as on-campus medical clinics, transformers can be prepped for shipping within a matter of hours. Attention to details such as duplication of the high and low voltage bus bar spells the difference between a lengthy replacement process versus a quick, cost-effective plug-and-play solution that brings the campus back online in minimal time.

“Even though we are a public institution and must put everything out to bid, we are permitted to buy from a sole source to alleviate the emergency,” Johnson said. “Few would argue against a power outage as being an emergency.”

As more campuses like WKU must switch out dozens of distribution transformers, cables and underground vaults, the process will not take place overnight. Johnson recommends tackling the oldest transformers first.

“Of the 58 buildings we have on campus, I’ve still got about 18 to go so we’re still working it,” Johnson said. “We replaced our worst equipment first to get them offline before we had more failures. Since we’ve had two-thirds of our system already replaced, obviously our failure rate has gone way down. We’ve never had any issues out of anything we’ve ever put in.”

The post Upgrading Campus Power Transformers appeared first on School Construction News.

Technology Pinpoints School Maintenance Issues

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Unified School District has unveiled a new system intended to keep the nation’s second-largest school district up to date on maintenance issues throughout its 800 campuses.
The district is the first to create a maintenance smart phone application for students, faculty and staff. The user sends in a photo of the maintenance issue to IBM Maximo software, which manages the district’s physical assets and work orders. From there, the district’s facilities crews assess the situation and come up with a response.

“People now have the ability to act as living sensors for things they witness in their day-to-day lives,” said Dave Bartlett, vice president of Industry Solutions at IBM.

The district typically receives more than 300,000 maintenance service requests each year. Since launching the mobile application, the district has responded to more than 1,650 reports submitted through both it and an identical form on its website. The number of reports is anticipated to significantly rise this year.

“What’s neat about the technology is that it gives the user automated feedback,” said Kurt Daradics, co-founder and director of business development at City Sourced, which developed the application. “Once the problem is fixed, it sends a message to the user who sent in the request and notifies them of the completed project.”

When a user submits a problem through his or her smart phone, the software notes the location and notifies campus workers. Redlands, Calif.-based software company, Esri, helped develop the tool.

“By using mapping technology we have made electric boundaries, so we know what campus the problem is at,” Daradics said.

It can be difficult for the district’s 700,000 students to know to whom to report a problem and for maintenance workers to locate it. The application is intended to make both challenges easier to handle.

“LAUSD is the first school district to have the app,” Daradics said, “and now that it’s public, other schools have been reaching out to us to learn more.”

The district pays about $25,000 for an annual license for the program. City Sourced calculates the annual payment based on district population size. For users, the application is free.

Before the application launched, students, faculty, staff and parents reported maintenance issues to the campus plant manager. The manager would then need to locate and understand the issue before calling the maintenance and operations service call desk, which would then delegate the problem to the appropriate person or department. The application, school officials say, bypasses many of those steps.

“Each year we found we were spending too much time, money and energy locating and reporting a problem before we even had the chance to fix it,” said Danny Lu, business analyst for the district. “By finding a more efficient way to report and locate needed repairs, we are able to respond faster to serve our campuses. The best part is that the solution is at the fingertips of most everyone on campus.”

The post Technology Pinpoints School Maintenance Issues appeared first on School Construction News.