“A facilities assessment is a great tool to document current building conditions and understand challenges and deficiencies,” said Director of Education Services Emily Bannick. “This information can serve as a foundation for a long-term facilities plan – a roadmap that can guide your district through the improvements needed to create outstanding learning environments that will serve students well into the future.”
Frequently, districts know they’re facing a facility-related issue (aging buildings and/or systems, declining or increasing populations, etc.), but don’t quite know where to start on the pathway to a solution. Facilities assessments are an excellent opportunity to take stock and leverage the expertise of professionals to determine your options. Our team of experts will evaluate your facilities, identify areas that need to be upgraded or improved, and provide potential solutions and accompanying estimates.
“A successful facilities assessment will result in a vision for the district,” Pete Perez, Director of Education Services, said. “Whether that is a method to address critical building deficiencies or a larger plan to achieve the goals of the district.”
Some districts who engage the services of design and construction professionals for a facilities assessment simply want to take stock of their current buildings and understand the costs of maintaining what they have over the next 10-20 years. This helps the district establish their annual budget with accuracy. Knowing the useful life and condition of materials and systems in their buildings, a district can plan for expenditures when items need repair or replacement.
Often, the facility assessment process can lead to more holistic discussions. If a district is facing growing or decreasing enrollment, administrators may be wondering how to right-size their facilities or reorganize grade levels to optimize the use of space. Buildings can be expensive to maintain, and districts may be looking for ways to use financial and environmental resources more efficiently. Some districts have a vision for completing a large-scale improvement project but aren’t sure how to communicate the need to district patrons. The facility assessment process can help in all these scenarios.
Once a facility assessment is completed and results are shared with stakeholders, an implementation plan may be the next step. This can include things like a preventive maintenance plan or forming a facilities committee to address the needs and challenges documented in the assessment. Having a qualified professional evaluate the condition of district facilities provides an informative foundation for facilities planning work and can help any district plan wisely for the future.
