Capital Planning
Through facility inspections, tracking of breakdowns and deficiencies and evaluations of requests, needed capital improvements are identified. The facility improvement needs are evaluated on an annual basis for the Corporation. These needed improvements are then prioritized along with an associated cost. Working with the Business Manager a Plan is then developed to implement the capital improvements.
Maintenance & Operations
There are more than 16 facilities in excess of 1.25 million square feet spread over approximately 200 acres within the Corporation. A considerable amount of work is required for the upkeep of all the buildings and grounds of the LPCSC. We employ people of various skills to accomplish the work. The tasks involve carpentry, plumbing, electrical, hvac, mowing, plowing, floor finishing, etc. All this work needs to be performed within the standards and regulations of the authorities having jurisdiction, OSHA, ADA, and NEC to name a few. The maintenance activities for the entire Corporation are completed with only 9 workers. That’s One and Three Quarters facilities or 137,083 square feet per maintenance worker. The National Average is 89,000*. There are approximately 50 custodians performing the custodial operations. Each custodian is responsible on average for maintaining 24,675 square feet of building area. We are better than the National Average of 23,985* and far exceed the 19,932* square feet per custodian for our Region.
* American School & University
Utilities
The costs associated with the service of electricity, natural gas, water, sanitation, etc. is substantial enough to warrant a constant monitoring of potential savings strategies. Understanding that costs for electricity alone is near Three Quarters of a Million Dollars, demonstrates that even a small percentage of savings can amount to a substantial budget relief. The usages and billing rates are tracked and reviewed to determine if there are any possibilities for cost reductions. At times these cost saving strategies may involve capital improvements. These strategies are evaluated for feasibility and reasonable payback periods.
Budget Appropriations
All of the aforementioned accomplishments are only enhanced by our ability to complete them in a cost effective manner. There is accountability employed through the development of budgets. Appropriations are made for all the supplies, tools, salaries, Contracts, etc. for each year. Expenditures are kept within the budgets and efforts are made to make reductions where possible. While required expenditures for the upkeep of our facilities and equipment are increasing and available appropriations are decreasing, maintenance is deferred. The following are charts that provide visual approximations of how the budgets are split for Maintenance & Operations and Transportation |
Project Management
There is a considerable amount of work, which requires the forces of an outside contractor. These contractors are provided specifications from which they develop proposals for the District. The proposals are evaluated and a contractor is selected. The work is then monitored to ensure the work is proceeding in a timely and quality fashion and that the District is “getting what it paid for”. During the construction, pay applications are reviewed, certificates are issued, coordination of work is performed, compliance with bid documents is monitored, and project schedule is maintained. In some instances we are able to avoid Consultant fees by developing the documents, acquiring State Design Releases and securing bids with “in-house” personnel due to the availability of a Licensed Engineer on staff.
Transportation of Students
Students are transported for the regular school day, special education and extra-curricular programs. While we emphasize our efforts to deliver the students in a timely and efficient manner, safety is given top priority. The department fleet is comprised of 61 66-passenger buses, 7 specially equipped buses and 4 9-passenger vans. The fleet is directed, managed, dispatched and maintained by a single Director, 2 office assistants and 3 mechanics. Of the approximately 6300 students within the over 200 square mile district, roughly 4000 of them are transported each day from their homes to their schools and then back again. The activities for transportation are monitored and regulated by multiple agencies including the Indiana State Police Dept., OSHA and U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Safety/Security
With the substantial number of staff distributed throughout the District we have the luxury of possessing many eyes and ears out there to quickly become aware of potential dangers. The buildings are made secure throughout the school day and are also checked on the weekends. Even the roadways are driven and monitored for safe transport operations starting at 4:00 a.m. on school days. The building systems and equipment are maintained to be safe and compliant with all applicable codes. Local and State Authorities regularly perform inspections to ensure the proper procedures are being performed, proper equipment is in place and proper training is provided. |