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CFAC Presents School Facilities Report


9/19/2007

Wake County Citizens' Facilities Advisory Committee Presents School Building Program Recommendations

The Wake County Citizens’ Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) presented the School Facilities Report at a joint meeting of the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education on Wednesday, September 19, 2007.

Of note is a recommendation for a jointly appointed committee to study land acquisition for schools in order to achieve a more streamlined and unified process. The report also makes several specific recommendations to improve the school system's administration of school construction projects and asks the community to further study shared athletic facilities, such as football stadiums.

"The purpose of this report is to suggest ways to improve school construction practices and save money for future school building programs," said CFAC Co-chair Billie Redmond. "The committee has worked diligently to compile its report. Now the community must debate the recommendations; public debate is the next step for reconsideration of existing policies."

The members of the CFAC have worked in three subcommittees for more than six months to compile their report. The report’s recommendations include the following:

Planning and Site Selection Recommendations:

  • Review planning process
  • Increase land banking
  • Plan urban designs
  • Investigate use of bus transit centers
  • Review land acquisition; form committee composed of CFAC members, County Commissioners, and Board of Education
  • Maximize the number of seats at existing and new sites
  • Establish a peer review committee for site plans
  • Establish a comprehensive site-cost value engineering process
  • Reduce the number of parking spaces
  • Pay close attention to ensure designs are sustainable and energy-efficient (separate report forthcoming)
  • Municipalities should adopt standard development ordinances for construction and renovation of schools
  • Reduce or modify requirements for on-site queuing; involve municipality and N.C. Department of Transportation sooner in process

Program and Design Recommendations:

  • Review and reconsider athletic activities
  • Evaluate cost/benefit of life cycle and code requirement improvements vs. opportunities to increase capacity
  • Design media centers no greater than N.C. Department of Public Instruction standards
  • Use "cafetoriums" in middle schools
  • Look at increasing core areas to reduce over-utilization and time constraints; continue to use mobile/modular units
  • Enhance wireless technology

Construction Administration Recommendations:

  • Develop cost allocation plan for program management/project management
  • Monitor personnel levels; reduce facility planner involvement once contracts are awarded
  • Challenge structural elements; include value-engineering requirements in professional services contracts
  • Support initial public/private partnership contractual document
  • Stagger bid days to allow general contractors and subcontractors to bid more projects; include surrounding counties, state government, and area universities
  • Continue to use construction manager-at-risk delivery method for projects $15 million or greater or for smaller complex projects
  • Eliminate some steps in change orders that are duplications of effort
  • Develop and streamline common review and permitting process; Wake County Government should be the single inspection authority
  • Address the remaining conditions in the Fails Management, Inc., operations assessment report

The CFAC believes its recommendations will save taxpayers money and will improve the school construction and renovation process in Wake County. The extent of the savings and construction changes will be contingent upon the adoption of CFAC recommendations.

"As new schools will be an ever growing need for Wake County, this committee recommends continued public discussion among the Board of Education, the Board of Commissioners and the citizens of Wake County about possible changes regarding school construction practices," said John Mabe, CFAC co-chair.

Additionally, the committee strongly recommends that the Wake County Board of Education fully review these findings and recommendations before embarking on the next building program.

The CFAC is an independent committee charged with evaluating the capital improvement programs for County facilities and operations, beginning with the Wake County Public School System's construction program.

View the CFAC School Facilities Report at www.wakegov.com/cfac.



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