Ops Talk Magazine Fall 2004

Mission Statement: To provide support and recognition to our members who work in partnership with leaders in education in the province of British Columbia.

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This is Strawberry Vale School, first opened to students in 1893, in Victoria, B.C. The building has been moved and refurbished several times, yet even today, it is open for student sessions. Its current role is as a pre-school facility.

The photo was supplied by SPOA past-president Glenn Miller, of Victoria.

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School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

An Official Publication of the School Plant Officials Association of British Columbia

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CONTENTS

Published By:

DEL

Communications Inc.

Del Communications Inc. 211 Hespeler Avenue Winnipeg, MB R2L 0L5 Phone: (204) 254-6418 Fax: (204) 668-4641

Editor’s Message ~ by John Hurst.............................................................5 President’s Message ~ Ernie Lambert Charting our course .............................................................................6 A Brief History ~ SPOABC ......................................................................7 SchoolDude offers answers to operating facilities in times of budget shortfalls.................................................8

Publisher David Langstaff david@delcommunications.com

Energy efficient heat pumps ....................................................................10

Editor John Hurst pressroom@shaw.ca

Thames Valley District School System wins the National Air Filtration Association’s Clean Air Award ................................................................................14

Advertising Sales Manager Jason Stefanik

Capital Asset Management — Maximizing stewardship of school infrastructure ............................15

Advertising Sales Kris Falk Jim Norris Ross James

The 2004 SPOA Conference: Something for everyone ....................................................................16

Production Services Provided by:

Looking at Occupational Health & Safety in 2010.................................23

Why have a district-wide facilities plan? ................................................13

FieldTurf: Taking a chance ......................................................................19 Schooling on skateboards ........................................................................29

S.G. Bennett Marketing Services Unit 7 - 414 Westmount Drive Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J 1P2 Shawn Bennett shawn@sgbennett.com Layout & Design Kathy Cable ©Copyright 2004. School Plant Officials of B.C. All rights reserved.

The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Publications mail agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Del Communications Inc. 211 Hespeler Avenue Winnipeg, MB R2L 0L5 Email: david@delcommunications.com

School Facility Renewal Quantifying and managing the issue.................................................33 CEFPI: Improving the places where children learn, in Canada and the United States .......................................................41 Wishbone Inc.: New furniture for the gym and vestibule..........................................42 RockCraft.................................................................................................44 We do make a difference .........................................................................46 Premier GPS Inc. Taking the worry out of parents’ lives ..............................................48

Mission Statement:

To provide support and recognition to our members who work in partnership with leaders in education in the province of British Columbia.

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 3

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I N D O O R c o m f o r t s y st e m s

Editor’s Note

by John Hurst John Bonnet, who wrote an important article for this issue of SPOA’s magazine, shared a commonality with me, in writing for the same tabloid. At different times, we contributed as employees to ingot, the smelter newspaper for Alcan Smelters & Chemicals Ltd., John in Kemano and myself in Kitimat. John’s story was done as a gag for an April Fool’s Day issue in those days, but in this one, he writes on a very serious topic — occupational health and safety. It carries some viewpoints that are sure to generate some serious reaction from SPOA readers.

In other articles, the complexities of getting a skateboard facility off the ground are explained in more ways than one, by Chris Parry, director of the Canadian Amateur Skateboard Association. He is correct in stating that from its inception, skateboarding has shared a special relationship with schoolyards. It makes for compelling reading.

B.C. Hydro has contributed a thoughtful piece on Richmond School District 38, which had a decision to make in designing its new Robert McMath Secondary School. Should the district install a conventional heating and cooling system for an annual energy cost of $120,000? Or should it install a geoexchange heat pump system that would cost less than $100,000 a year in operating costs?

Some suppliers that have been active in providing novel features to public facilities have some mention in this issue too. We cover the installation of four FieldTurf playing surfaces at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex in 1999. Also, there is an exposition of the emerging influence of composite and plastic furniture and playground equipment, from the RockCraft and Wishbone companies.

Also, we provide an account of the 40th annual SPOA conference, with commentary by organizers Glenn Miller and John Garossino.

Eclectic stuff for a field of widely divergent interests.

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President’s Message

Ernie Lambert

CHARTING Our Course I thought it might be an interesting twist to provide a theme for the year at the beginning of the year, instead at the end of the year for the conference. After reviewing our challenges and opportunities we have chosen “Charting Our Course” for this years theme.

A little over 500 years ago Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. Forty-two years ago, John Glenn was launched into space and became the first American to orbit the earth. You might wonder what these events have to do with the “School Plant Officials Association” but I see some strong similarities. There are similarities in their goals, their drive, and their support mechanism.

In both instances they were headed into uncharted territory. Their future was uncertain yet they were confident and had the support of their team. They shared the vision of many but, did not head out blindly. They had to chart their course, and work together to achieve their ultimate goal.

Education in British Columbia and how we support it is changing. We may not know exactly where it will end or how it will look, but as a team we will get there. We need to be there. We need to “Chart Our Course” To do this the “School Plant Officials Association”

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needs to take a leadership role to provide support for education in the Province. Our members have a vast knowledge base. This is based on experience, training and a tremendous support network. We need to make sure that our members are involved in a positive manner to help chart the course for education in British Columbia and our Association.

We can do this by enhancing our relations with the other associations including the Superintendents, Secretary Treasurers, Trustees, BCPSEA, CEFPI, the Ministry and others. We need to be taking a leadership role, providing recommendations and helping to avoid pitfalls. We will continue with our educational and certification programs.

By taking a leadership role we will promote the value of our Association and its member's abilities to help educate students. If we do not help chart the course, we will have no alternative but to follow or become lost.

Your executive is committed to be involved and to involve the members at large to achieve these goals.

I look forward to working with this year's executive and all members at large to serve this Association as we continue to “Chart Our Course”.

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A BRIEF HISTORY of the School Plant Officials Association of British Columbia In the early 1960's a number of small meetings were held at different School Boards, resulting in the Inaugural Meeting of the organization at Duncan, B.C. in 1964.

Approximately twelve interested school plant supervisors attended. They met for the purpose of forming an association that would benefit school plant officials from all districts throughout the Province of British Columbia.

From the very beginning the enthusiasm and purpose for the meeting was strongly evident and there was no doubt about making plans to continue.

The First Annual General Meeting was convened at the Blue Boy Hotel, Vancouver B.C., in 1965 with an encouraging attendance of school personnel along with a small number of suppliers.

In June 1966 the Second Annual General Meeting was held in Prince George, B.C. at which time the constitution was drawn up. The name chosen was British Columbia School Plant Officials Association.

With interest in membership and conference attendance, along with a steady gain of suppliers, we have never looked back. A few years later the name was officially changed to the School Plant Officials Association of British Columbia.

The comradeship within the Association is remarkable - making the organization the unique body it has presently grown to. May the purpose for its existence always be nurtured with the vision and dedication of our charter members.

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SchoolDude offers answers to operating Declining maintenance and operations budgets in North American school districts have posed a daunting challenge - providing quality educational facilities and learning environments. In the United States, there is $266 billion in unmet funding for deferred maintenance and adequacy needs for school facilities - more than $5,000 per student enrolled! Maintenance and operations budgets have declined to a 30-year low. The average age of the main instructional buildings of public schools is 40 years.

North Carolina-based SchoolDude offers its own webnative technology to help districts harness the power of the Internet to succeed, by revolutionizing the way school plant officials manage their facilities. The Internet makes technology more affordable by reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), while providing more power and ease of use. While owning and operating traditional desktop systems leaves you with seemingly endless costs (software upgrades, licenses, servers, IT support, data backup and more), SchoolDude's applications claim to eliminate these hassles and reduce the TCO 60 to 90 percent, making the applications you need to succeed affordable.

A number of Washington state school officials have subscribed to SchoolDude.com's innovative internet main-

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tenance management system (IMMS), marketed as 'designed exclusively for schools.' The system is relatively easy to use and has a regional reputation for offering good support services. The web-based system appears to be a market leader in the State of Washington and other areas around the nation.

SchoolDude.com offers nine modules that cover most aspects of school maintenance, with MaintenanceDirect being its most popular module. MaintenanceDirect connects schools to the work order process and tracks internal resources, while offering the ability to add preventive maintenance and inventory-control modules. Other types of modules may be added include utilities tracking, afterschool event scheduling and preparations, IT work order management, and capital planning. Snoqualmie Valley School District, a 5,000 student district in Washington state, uses MaintenanceDirect, PMDirect, and CommunityDirect.

Carl Larson, the district's facilities operations supervisor, said “The PMDirect system took our district from being reactive to being proactive.”

The whole system is Internet-based, enabling ease of use, according to the company's web page. Competing products are usually “installed desktop systems,” which require

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facilities in times of budget shortfalls more time and money to install and maintain. SchoolDude does not require servers and software to operate. School districts simply need a web browser and access to the Internet, which can lead to an 80-percent cost of ownership reduction.

“All you need is an e-mail address and a web browser and you can access and use it from anywhere,” Larson confirmed.

School districts, therefore, do not have to worry about maintaining the system, and all of the upgrades are automatic. The cost is reasonable, according to other SchoolDude clients, and is based on the number of students in a district.

“We went with SchoolDude.com when faced with the upgrade costs of ACT1000 (a competing system), compared with what the upgrades would get us,” said Bryan Visscher, maintenance supervisor of Wenatchee School District in Washington.

For a school with about 2,000 students, for example, the cost to start up with SchoolDude's MaintenanceDirect system would be about $1,000 per year. For a school with about 4,000 students, the cost would range from $2,000 to $3,000.

“Costs do get substantial when you start using more of SchoolDude's products,” Visscher added, “but SchoolDude gives bundled discounts. Additionally, the support response time is excellent and the customer service and turnaround on requests are also top notch.”

SchoolDude offers free industry statistical information about educational facility staffing levels for maintenance, custodial, and grounds, as well as preventive maintenance and utility tracking information. The company develops these statistics from surveying its extensive client base of approximately 1,000 educational clients in the United States and Canada and from the company's online community discussion forums that include over 4,000 educational organizations. For free survey information, please contact Monica Dorman at toll free phone 1-877-868-3833 or by email at monica@schooldude.com.

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ENERGY EFFICIENT

HEAT Pumps Richmond School District 38 had a decision to make in designing the new Robert McMath Secondary School.

Should the district install a conventional heating and cooling system for an annual energy cost of $120,000? Or should it install a geoexchange heat pump system that would cost less than $100,000 a year in operating costs?

The decision was easy: McMath Secondary is now home to a groundcoupled heat pump system that is designed to supply at least 80 per cent of the school's heating needs. On very cold winter days, additional heat is provided by a high-efficiency natural gas condensing boiler. In addition to reduced operating costs, the school district is also enjoying the environmental benefits of less energy use, and a more comfortable indoor environment for students, teachers and staff.

A Smart Choice for Schools Heating and cooling account for the largest portion of a school's energy costs (approximately 70 %) and a significant part of overall operating costs.

Because of their lower operating and maintenance costs, energy efficiency and comfort, schools in Canada and the United States are increasingly turning to geoexchange systems as an alternative to conventional HVAC systems.

How Do Heat Pumps Work?

Geoexchange systems use geothermal energy, or the energy that is naturally stored as heat in the earth's surface, in the oceans or large water bodies.

Almost everywhere in the world, the earth's surface under the frost line maintains a nearly constant temperature between 10 C and 16 C (50 F and 60 F), remaining warmer than the air above it in the winter and cooler in the 10 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

summer. A geoexchange, or geothermal heat pump system takes advantage of this constant temperature by transferring heat stored in the earth or in ground water into a building during the winter, and transferring it out of the building and back into the ground during the summer. In other words, the ground acts as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer.

A geoexchange system consists of three main parts: pipes buried in the ground, a heat exchanger, and ductwork to distribute heat into the building. The series of pipes, commonly called a “loop,” is buried in the ground, either vertically or horizontally, near or beneath the building. The loop circulates a fluid (water, or a mixture of water and antifreeze) that absorbs heat from, or relinquishes heat to, the surrounding soil, depending on whether the building requires heating or cooling.

For heating, heat is removed from the fluid in the loop system, concentrated in the heat exchanger and transferred to the building. This process is controlled by a heat pump that regulates the temperature level. For cooling, the process is reversed. In essence, the system works like an air conditioner, only its sink is underground.

In addition to space conditioning, a geoexchange system can provide hot water heating, using a “desuperheater,” which transfers excess heat from the heat pump's compressor to the building's hot water tank, very common in residential geothermal heat pump applications.

Benefits Electricity savings Typically, heat pump systems reduce heating and cooling costs by 25 to 40 per cent, compared with conventional systems. At McMath Secondary, for

example, this translates into savings of $20,000 a year.

“Although the initial cost for the geoexchange system was higher than that for a conventional system, the cost will be quickly offset by lower energy bills,” says Eric Thorleifson, Energy and Projects Manager of Richmond School District.

Increase the scope of the installation, and you increase the savings. In Lincoln, Nebraska, four elementary schools recently installed geoexchange systems. Compared to natural gas HVAC systems that were installed in two other schools at the same time, the four schools had a total energy cost saving of 57 per cent.

Enhanced comfort A major advantage of geoexchange systems for schools is their ability to heat or cool individual classrooms or areas. With zone control, each room can be kept as warm or cool as needed, rather than heating or cooling the entire building uniformly. In addition to being more energy efficient, this boosts occupant comfort.

This has certainly been the case at Paint Lick Elementary School in Kentucky, the first newly constructed school in the state to be heated and cooled by a geoexchange system.

Thirty-five separate heat pumps throughout the school allow the library, cafeteria, offices, gymnasium and each classroom to have individual thermostats and zone control.

Kentucky now has over 40 schools with geoexchange systems.

And at Swan Lake First Nations School in Brandon, Manitoba, during a winter cold snap, when the outside temperature plunged to -35 C for two days in a row, the auxiliary electric baseboard heaters were not needed.

HEAT PUMPS Environmental and social benefits Geoexchange systems work by concentrating naturally existing heat, rather than by producing heat through the combustion of fossil fuels. By displacing electricity, they reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in less air pollution.

Applications Obviously, the best time to install a geothermal system is at the construction stage. However, a heat pump system may also be added during a school retrofit, to replace an HVAC system.

In an effort to decrease operating costs, many provincial education departments limit the amount of floor area that may be cooled. Because of their lower operating costs, however,

geothermal systems can improve the economics and the practicality of cooling schools. McMath Secondary, for instance, will be able to use the ground loop to increase the amount of area to be cooled, thereby becoming one of the first schools in B.C. to offer full cooling capability throughout the year.

As well, Swan Lake First Nations School was able to provide air cooling due in large part to the decision to incorporate geoexchange units but construction still came in $200,000 under budget.

As well, in moderate climates, during some parts of the year, and for some building types heat removed from spaces requiring cooling is recovered, and reused for heating. For example, community centres can

recover heat removed from cooling an ice rink and use it to heat a pool. This heat recovery capability proves effective even in larger systems such as the one provided in West Vancouver Community Centre (as illustrated in the diagram).

BC Hydro Can Help BC Hydro is interested in helping customers apply and test geoexchange technology, and is currently running a demonstration project to look at innovative applications for heat pumps where electric resistance heating would normally be used. School districts may qualify for incentives for geoexchange applications under Hydro's Power Smart Partner program.

In addition, BC Hydro is cohosting

Heat Flow Diagram for West Vancouver Community Centre.

PHOTO COURTESY STANTEC

ENERGY FLOW DIAGRAMS

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 11

HEAT PUMPS an international GeoExchange Conference and Tradeshow on March 1718th, 2005 providing an opportunity for participants to learn more about this emerging technology To find out more about this conference or for more information on how BC Hydro may be able to assist your school district to implement this technology contact: Grad Ilic, P.Eng., BC Hydro's New Technology, Demonstrations, and R&D Manager at 604.453.6455 or email grad.ilic@ bchydro.com.

BC Hydro also has funding available for quick and easy energy efficiency upgrades that can help your school district reduce costs and save energy.

Through the Power Smart Product Incentive Program, your school district could be eligible for funding to install: • T8 Lighting • CFL Lighting • LED Exit Signs • Pulse Start Metal Halide Lighting • High Pressure Sodium Lighting • Vending Machine Sensors

SCHOOLS ARE BECOMING MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT.

OTHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY IDEAS To find out how your school can participate in the Product Incentive Program visit, www.bchydro.com/ incentives or call 604 522-4713 in the Lower Mainland or 1-866-522-4713 elsewhere.

The case study examples cited in this article are adapted from articles prepared by the US Department of Energy (www.eere.energy.gov) and the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (www.geo-exchange.ca).

Energize your bottom line with LED exit signs LED (light-emitting diode) exit signs are up to 90% more efficient than incandescent signs and can last up to 10 years. Since exit signs are always on, the energy and maintenance savings add up quickly. Plus switching to LEDs is simple, which makes this an easy way to start saving energy and money.

LED exit signs are just one of the many energyefficient products that are eligible for financial assistance through the Power Smart Product Incentive Program.

To find out how much you can save through the Power Smart Product Incentive Program, visit www.bchydro.com/incentives or call 604 522- 4713 in the Lower Mainland,

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12 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

WHY have a district-wide facilities plan?

Editor's note: William Wood is the principal of Matrix Planning Associates and has been a planning consultant for 32 years.

He has prepared district-wide and area-wide facilities plans for many British Columbia school districts.

by William Wood A district wide facilities plan will provide a clear long-range vision for the future of each school in your school district. The foundation for such a plan would be the best enrolment forecasts that can be developed based on all available demographic data as well as information about future residential development. A district wide facilities strategy would address major deficiencies of all existing school buildings with broad plans for upgrading or replacement over the timeframe of the plan - typically ten or fifteen years. A comprehensive facilities plan would reflect all relevant educational and operational policies from administration and the School Board.

A thorough district wide facilities plan would explore the costs and ben-

efits associated with a wide range of service delivery alternatives and building options. The nature of these possibilities will vary with each school district, but could include alternative grade configurations and catchment area realignment. Key evaluation criteria for each future scenario will be the resultant school utilization levels and total anticipated capital expenditure.

The comprehensive analysis underlying a district wide plan will make it easier to achieve consensus among senior administrators and the Board regarding a shared vision for the future. A documented and approved district wide facilities plan that reflects this shared vision becomes a valuable resource in formulating annual capital plans. Each proposed construction

project fits into the framework of a long-range plan for the whole district.

This enhances the credibility of each capital project and provides continuity in the annual capital planning process. A district wide facilities plan also provides guidance regarding the allocation of limited annual maintenance funds.

A district wide facilities plan will furnish the rationale for making hard choices like school closures. Such a plan will help administrators and the Board remain focused on the benefits of the long-term vision in the face of interest group resistance to specific actions. In short, a district wide facilities plan can be your compass as you navigate your school district into the perpetually uncertain future.

CERTIFICATION UPDATE SPOA's certification program continues.

Members are reminded that the grandfathering window that closes on Dec. 31, 2004. All members who wish to take advantage of this opportunity need to submit their applications.

For those members who are not eligible for this grandfathering opportunity, SPOA and SPOSA will have the examination process available for them by the end of the calendar year.

Should you have any questions feel free to contact Ernie Lambert at 250-342-5527 or elambert@sd6.bc.ca School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 13

THAMES VALLEY DISTRICT SCHOOL SYSTEM

wins the National Air Filtration Association's

Clean Air Award The Clean Air Award (CAA) is awarded to companies and institutions to recognize their using effective air filtration in maintaining a clean and healthy indoor environment for their facilities.

The winner, like the Thames Valley District School System, must have made a deliberate effort, document the changes it made and achieve a total of at least 52 points on objective criteria that include: Increasing the particle and/or gas phase removal efficiency of the filter system Training the personnel on “best practice” filtration applications Installing gasketing and other measures to insure no air bypass in the system Installing pressure reading equip-

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ment for accurate determination of timing of filter changes Keeping accurate and complete records on units and filter change schedules Insuring the cleanliness of the system and related coils and ductwork with inspections and cleaning on a regular basis Recipients of the award will receive special recognition from the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) with an award for their building presented at its national convention along, with the story of their accomplishments in the quarterly air filter publication Air Media.

Norspec worked with TVSD to initiate surveys of all air handlers and filter banks in all facilities that pro-

duced a report that highlighted the changes needed to achieve good indoor air quality. Norspec began immediately to install MERV 8 filters in all air handlers along with schedules and training for the 400+ maintenance staff.

Efforts initiated resulted in first cost savings in air filtration purchases because of life-cycle costing analysis, while raising the level of air cleanliness. TVSD is very pleased with the results thus far and the committee established to evaluate the results continues to meet to explore ways to continue the improvement process.

Alan C. Veeck, CAFS Executive Director National Air Filtration Association www.nafahq.org

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CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT —

Maximizing Stewardship of School Infrastructure Capital Asset Management (CAM) is an important but often not fully appreciated or utilized 'tool' for the renewal, replacement or removal of K-12 school facilities. When a new school is built, it is assumed to have a life expectancy of 50 - 75 years. However, approximately half of the initial construction cost is expended on components that simply wear out and have to be replaced once, twice, perhaps even three or four times during the life of that facility.

Mechanical systems, electrical systems, structural systems, interior and exterior finishes, flooring and others all have to be replaced or significantly upgraded within their normally expected life cycle ranges, these life cycles may be as short as 8 years or as long as 50 years. It is important to recognize that such replacements are capital renewal , not maintenance. CAM is not to be confused with CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) although when used synergistically these systems provide a full range of infrastructure management

capability. CMMS provides day to day functionality for the repair of building components (and replacement of minor equipment e.g. pumps, motors, etc.).

CAM as defined by the Government of BC is: 'the process of identifying current and future capital needs, and developing strategies and projects to address those needs. The primary function of a CAM program is to enable a school district to proactively manage its infrastructure and building components based on a quantifiable plan that strategically prioritizes need and matches this need with available resources. CAM programs are generally prepared on a 1, 3, 5, 10 year cycle and refreshed annually.

CAM represents a compelling opportunity to demonstrate full knowledge of school infrastructure and be able to report on it. CAM enables school districts to fully integrate education programming with school facility renewal and match the programming to maximize the educational opportunity with facility responsive-

ness. Managing the capital needs of school infrastructure is a complex task requiring knowledge of buildings that can be 50 or 75 years old to those that are recently constructed. Facility Directors, Secretary Treasurers and School Superintendents all must be conversant with the strategic opportunity that CAM affords in order to provide exceptional learning and teaching environments.

Benefits of a CAM program include but are not restricted to: planned, integrated knowledge management; coordinated work processes; enhanced stewardship of resources; short, medium and long range budgeting and planning; support to education programming; proactive change management strategies; enhanced decision making; archival history capability; control of your school facility upgrading, renewal, and replacement planning.

Contributing Author: Steve Cripps, Managing Principal Control Facility Management Ltd. Calgary, Alberta www.cfman.com

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The 2004 SPOA Conference:

Something for everyone The 40th annual SPOA conference, with the theme, “Celebrating 40 Years of Excellence,� attracted a record 140 delegates to Penticton's Trade and Convention Centre, June 14, 2004. True to its billing, it literally offered something for everyone involved with school buildings.

One of the key organizers John Garossino, of Kamloops, said the conference was tremendously successful, sold out and operating with a waiting list. In a trade show that blended its

activities and representatives with SPOA presentations, 119 exhibit booths were staffed. Throughout, a partners' program provided a full range of activities for both delegates and exhibitors.

Events got under way with a golf tournament on the first day, at Skaha Meadows Golf Course, followed by a president's reception at the conference centre. On June 2, the trade show opened and, following a new member orientation, a Ministry of Education update session provided SPOA members with information on where things are headed and what they will have on B.C.'s school districts.

16 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

Caleb Wong, of the Employer Advisor Office, Ministry of Skills Development & Labor, presented an update on Workers Compensation Board regulations that affect school districts.

Linda Kinney, of SHAPE, spoke on secondary school theatre concerns and how they should be addressed, especially in light of student and staff safety. Jim Watson, an RGC technical manager, addressed the delegates and exhibitors on what to look for when assessing roofs. Ernie Lambert, Vice President, and Operations Supervisor with the Rocky Mountain school district, conducted a round table session on custodial staffing and standards, and equipment evaluations. Risk management consultant Ed McGuigan provided a review of a new consulting system that has been put in place and what it means to the members.

On June 3, SPOA's annual general meeting got under way, with annual elections. Later in the day, Brian Chutter, an employee relations specialist with BCPSEA, discussed the sensitive topics of discipline and grievance. He followed this with a discussion on disability management issues.

Later, representatives of Terasen Gas, Matt Steele, Tom Loski and Adrian Patridge, covered the firm's natural gas rates, demand-side management and delivery cost/commodity affairs, among other topics. Rex Morrison, of Reno, Nev., spoke on a new process cleaning system that combines the best of team and zone cleaning. The public schools of Reno implemented this new approach and realized cost savings, increasing the cleanliness of their buildings at the same time.

Ernie Lambert conducted a presentation on SPOA certification, explaining the process involved and how this program developed. A round table discussion followed, for delegates interested in filling out an application for certification.

John Bonnet and Terry Gomez, BCSSA, spoke on strategies for injury prevention and a BC Hydro Power Smart presentation designed especially for school custodial staff, proceeded with Amy Dean, marketing manager for BC Hydro.

Wayne Ferguson, remediation coordinator, for the Building Envelope Program, discussed the program outline, what con-

Left to right, (Tom Walkley, Supervisor of Operations, SD5 Southeast Kootenay), (Robert Lawrence, Supervisor of Safety Services, SD 60, Peace River North), (Ivan Lewis, Maintenance Supervisor, SD 60 Peace River North), (Dan Horochuk, Manager of Operations, SD# 83, North Okanagan/ Shuswap) Chuck Morris, Manager, Building Trades, and Tom Louie, Director of Facilities (both of school district 35, Langley).

stitutes a building envelope failure, how to monitor performance and projects that were repaired under the program.

Brian Miltimore, of NRCAN, discussed green building case studies, focusing on a retrofit program that helps education and health care organizations procure building retrofits to conserve energy. This program provides guidance, resource tools and model documents in direct aid of the procurement process.

Microbial contamination and new standards for its assessment and remediation were discussed by Jim Bagley and John Holland, MCIOB, along with sewer back-ups, sprinkler actuation and sprinkler maintenance, all important issues for several school districts. They also touched on crawl spaces and portable buildings.

The conference theme for 2005 is “Charting Our Course”.

Glenn Miller commented also, “As the president of the School Plant Officials Association of British Columbia for the 2003-2004 year, I am thrilled with the outcome of this year's conference.

“The hard work and dedication of the entire executive should be commended for the long hours and constant attention to details in putting together a conference of this size.

The success of this year's program can be attributed largely to the commitment that our members made in taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend.

“If quality is defined as meeting or exceeding expectations, then we have achieved our goal this year in providing an education and trade show program that will have direct contribution to the continuous improvement of our plant officials.

While we believe that we ultimately enhance the learning environment for the students in British Columbia, it is also our belief that continuous learning is fundamental to our improvement.

“Our 40th anniversary is good reason to celebrate the successes of the past - and what a show it was.”

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 17

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Taking a chance George Harvie knew he was taking a risk when he recommended the installation of four FieldTurf playing surfaces at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex in 1999.

“The big name in the field at that time was AstroTurf but when we started studying the alternatives, we began to believe that FieldTurf was what we looking for,” said Harvie, who was the assistant city manager in Burnaby. “We went to the plants where the products were manufactured but the one thing which sold us on this company was the visit we made to the existing facilities in Seattle and Portland,” said Harvie.

“We talked to administrators and athletes and they had nothing but praise for the product. What we were seeing was a revolutionary product that was different from anything in the field before. The athletes told us that they had never played on a surface that was so much like real grass.”

FieldTurf has come a long way since the first installation of four playing surfaces at Burnaby Lake. Over the past five years, the Canadian company, based in Montreal, has become the industry leader with more than 1000 installations worldwide.

There are more than 20 FieldTurf surfaces in British Columbia, including the two-year-old facility at Mackie Park in North Delta. George Harvie is currently the city manager for the Corporation of Delta and he said there was no risk involved when he recommended it for Mackie Park.

“I had seen the excellent results in Burnaby and I knew that, even though there were some companies that tried to produce a similar product, there was nothing like the original,” said Harvie. “When we decided to upgrade the park, I knew that FieldTurf was the right product. Now we're looking at building more artificial grass fields and we're sold on it.”

The excellent drainage associated with its product is a major selling point in the Pacific Northwest but Harvie noted that the surface proved itself this past summer when there were long periods without rain.

“The initial cost of a FieldTurf is intense but there are savings down the line,” explained Harvie. “The maintenance costs are far less than natural grass and we noticed this summer that we were able to conserve water during a period when we had little rain.”

The North Delta facility is typical of facilities shared by a variety of community activities. The facility is used for lacrosse, soccer and field hockey and can also be easily con-

verted for use as a football field.

“On grass fields, you have to be careful, particularly when the field is wet or in the fall and winter when grass doesn't regenerate the way it does in the summer,” said Harvie. “It offers a consistent playing surface at all times. If you have lights, you can use the field 24/7.”

And, as someone who keeps a close eye on the taxpayers' money, Harvie notes that he has been involved in six of its installations and “everyone has been completed on time and on budget.”

The secret behind its spectacular growth is the patented infill system which revolutionized artificial turf. The earliest products were little more than carpets. The system recreated the look and feel of real grass.

The hybrid polyethylene fibres are tufted into a unique porous surface backing. Each individual fibre is placed in a pattern which emulates real grass and they are supported by an infill of graded sand and cryogenic rubber.

Unlike earlier surfaces, it is virtually non-abrasive and players can slide on the surface without fear of carpet burn.

And the infill system provides the same torque release as natural grass, minimizing the chances of “turf toe” or motionrelated injuries.

The company passed one of its toughest tests when it convinced FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, that an artificial turf field could provide playing conditions that were similar to grass. FieldTurf was the first manufacturSchool Plant Officials Association of B.C. 19

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LOOKING AT

Occupational Health and Safety

by John Bonnet in 2010 One of the things I do each year is to look ahead to prepare for the challenges that will come in the next year and beyond. Some years it's easy to see what is coming and easy to determine the challenges. New legislation is always visible. The new demands are always readily apparent. Bill 14 created the requirement to accommodate training of safety committee representatives. Bill 49 radically reduced WCB benefit costs in mid 2002 setting the stage for a 20 % decline in 2005

assessment rates for school districts.

This year it's a bit more difficult.

The OH&S Regulation is undergoing continual change but each change, in of itself, will not significantly alter the way in which we manage health and safety. Any additional changes to the WC Act are uncertain and will not, in any case, occur until after the next provincial election in May 2005.

Consequently, the impact from new legislation would not be felt until 2006 or 2007 at the earliest. This school year

(Editor's note: the views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily reflect the views of his employer, BCPSEA.)

is a bargaining year for teachers and support staff so we can expect that our unions will pay increased attention to labour relations issues, perhaps, at the expense of time spent with OH&S issues. Looking to the near future - a year or two from now - should show an environment that is very similar to the one in which we work in today.

However, if we look further into the horizon, four or five years out, we will see that managing OH&S issues will likely be much different than it is today

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 23

Occupational Health and Safety because of changes that are already underway.

Bill 49, The Workers Compensation Amendment Act was enacted on June 30, 2002. In addition to the changes in benefit levels, this Act also set in place a new governance model. The old model was based on representation with a membership drawn from the labour and employer community. It was non-functional. The new governance model allowed for representation but was weighted toward expertise. It appears to be working. This change set the stage for a change in leadership and direction at the WCB. A new president and several new vice presidents have been appointed, staff have been laid off, budgets have been reduced, and departments have been reorganized and realigned. Some work groups and their functions have simply been eliminated. The reasons for these changes are not as a result of politics or pressure from influential pressure groups but rather arise from changes in our economy and work environment.

These same changes will impact school districts in how we manage our business.

So how will it be different in 2010? Let's look at some changes that are already happening.

The Form of Regulations When the Workers' Compensation Act was established in 1918, the people who crafted the Act held that the Board should retain the right to influence the amount risk considered acceptable where the “market�, i.e. the interaction and natural tensions between employers, workers and the public, was unable to respond to identified hazards.

The regulatory environment in which we operate today has developed from the simple notion that hazards can be identified and then controlled through regulations that attempt to control or modify how people accomplish work.

24 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

Traditionally, regulations have been prescriptive in nature, encouraging solutions based on a hierarchy that favours engineering or design solutions over administrative controls that in turn are preferred over personal protective equipment. The advantage of this approach is that it allows employers, workers and WCB inspection officers to measure compliance based on simple observation or objective measurement. However, it also limits the means to achieve reduced risk, increases costs and reduces the need to make people aware of the hazards to which they are exposed. Further, regulations are static, and prescriptive requirements cannot be adjusted to an employment environment that is constantly changing.

Performance requirements state the end to be achieved and permit employers and workers to develop

appropriate and flexible solutions to risk levels. This approach requires more education and greatly increases the difficulty of WCB officers to measure compliance.

The direction in amending the regulations will be toward performance regulations. The issue of establishing what constitutes compliance will shift from the WCB officer to the employer and worker.

The Role of the WCB Officer Faced with the impossibility of determining compliance on a consistent and even basis, the role of the WCB inspections officer will change from measuring compliance to the investigation of WCB claims. Initially, the objective will be to reduce or remove risks associated with high cost injuries, an area where the WCB has seen no improvement, to encouraging claims

Occupational Health and Safety reduction and its associated costs. The focus of the inspector will change from assessing compliance with regulations to encouraging actions by the employer to remove hazards responsible for claims. This change in direction has already started. WCB officers are being grouped with peers from claims, rehabilitation and assessment departments. This cross communication will force WCB inspections officers to change from simple assessors of compliance with regulations to investigators focused on hazards responsible for claims.

Disease and Injury Claims Frequency and Costs For a number of years, the WCB has reported that the claims or injury rate for all workers in BC is decreasing. I think much of this can be attributed to the changing nature of the employment

mix in BC. The “computer age” has done much to change the way in which we work. Computers have reduced the risk of injury in a broad sector, but not all sectors, of our employment.

However, while the number of traumatic injuries is decreasing, claims related to disease are increasing. There are two aspects to this trend. The science behind disease causation is increasing and the awareness among workers of links between workplace conditions and contaminants is much greater. It is also true that increases in the cost of disability programs has resulted in a move by insurance carriers to look to transfer costs from personal and organization plans to the WCB. For school districts, the increasing frequency and cost of disease claims will promote, not only more activity in environmental and workplace contam-

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w w w . b c h a r d w o o d . c o m

inant exposure control programs and procedures, but increased attention to the general health and well being of students and staff.

I think it is likely that air borne contaminant control programs, rather engineering controls, will have increased importance. For example, the use of woods associated with respiratory disease such as cedar and mahogany will be carefully controlled, class management and custodial practices associated with pottery classes will likely be altered to ensure that generated dust is held to a minimum.

Indoor air quality programs will likely focus on eliminating internal generation of contaminants rather than focus on air distribution, filtration issues, or outside air supply. Pro-active programs for both staff and students that deal with common communicable diseases will be more evident.

Wage Loss and Return to Work It is becoming more acceptable to consider that employment entails a risk to well being. Consequently, we will learn to accept that some risks are “due” risks and common to the particular employment we choose. Once we accept that regardless of any effort we make to eliminate claims, some claims will still occur, we move to a position that injured and sick workers deserve our support. As the number of claims continues to decrease, the costs associated with the claims that remain assume a position of greater importance. Consequently, the management of a claim will become more important as the number of claims continue to decrease, Return to work programs are a proven means to enhance the degree of recovery and the time of recovery.

The Rise of Industry Associations At present, individual WCB inspections officers attempt to favourably influence claims rates by interacting with individual companies. This “micro management” approach will School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 25

Occupational Health and Safety give way to industry associations, “a macro management” approach that collectively set standards for its members. The increasing difficulty faced by WCB inspections officers in assessing compliance when faced with performance style regulations and the increasing ability of employers with a common interest to share information and standards will drive this change. It is noteworthy that the WCB has provided funding to the BC School Safety Association to develop health and safety standards in conjunction with school districts.

Another factor that will drive this change is the retirement of the “baby boomers” now managing health and safety in their district. As this expertise

leaves, district management will increasingly look to ways to replace this talent. The ability to interact with other districts will be one new cost effective option.

(Ed.: John Bonnet worked for 29 years in Health and Safety, from 1975 to 1982 as a Safety Officer and later as Assistant Director, Prevention Services, WCB of BC. From 1982 to 1988, he was a Safety and Training Coordinator, with Alcan, and from 1988 to 1999, he was Safety Supervisor with the Vancouver School Board. From 1999 to now, he has been Provincial Coordinator for the BC Public School Employers' Association. Married for 37 years with two adult kids and one dog, he has earned the status of a Canadian Registered Safety Professional: “Best thing I ever did?

Starting the BC School Safety Association.”)

Last Comment By 2010, personnel managing safety in school districts will be more process oriented rather than relying on individual expertise. The ability to exchange information and to collectively develop information will promote this change. This change will be accompanied with a change in ownership for health and safety from the WCB to the districts collectively. It will be an interesting and challenging change!

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Skateboards

By Chris Parry, director of The Canadian Amateur Skateboard Association Skateboarding and schoolyards are two nouns that play an integral role in the lives of countless youths across Canada.

For skaters the words go together like “play” and “ground”.

To school administrators and policymakers the words go together like “Skate and destroy.” Without getting too far into the debate of whether skateboarding causes cosmetic damage to property (it does) or the level of inconvenience or annoyance it creates for others (it can); this article aims to educate a bit about skateboarding and its history, explore reasons why kids skate at schools, share insights into the experience of the average youthful skater, and finally suggest some options for schools, administrators, and skaters to co-exist in a positive, safe and healthy environment.

Schoolyards and the birth of skateboarding From its inception, skateboarding has shared a special relationship with schoolyards. It is fairly common knowledge that modern skating's roots trace back to the surfers of southern California. They found the banked schoolyards of LA and San Diego to be perfect places to practice their landlocked surfing moves. But as skateboarding evolved and developed it's own identity, one not reliant on the surf style of Skateable terrain is all around a school yard.

riding, a new style of skateboarding, commonly known as street skating, pushed skaters to constantly seek suitable locations or 'skate-spots'. Invariably the search for skatespots led them back to the schoolyards where they studied all week as schools provide an ample array of skateable objects to invent new tricks on and push the limits of what is possible on a board and four wheels. A cursory survey of skateboard videos, media, or video games further reveals the central role of schools as skatespots. The fact that skateboarding is largely a youth driven sport and culture only serves to reinforce this relationship.

A few well placed benches could be designated skate zones.

Why do kids skate at schools?

Why kids skate at schools seems pretty obvious. Skating is how skateboarders get around (like bike riders) and school is where they spend a majority of their waking hours. But there are other reasons as to why schools are prime skate terrain.

With the evolution of “street” skating came the ability of skaters to turn their surroundings into a “skatepark”. There School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 29

Skateboards was no longer the need for specialized facilities when common architectural features such as ledges, handrails, stairs, and open flatground areas all became places where skaters could perform and perfect their tricks. In fact, skateboarding's incredible progression and enormous growth is due in large part to skateboarders' creative ability to utilize and celebrate what others see simply as a place to sit, an aid to travel down stairs, or a slab of cement to walk on. Unfortunately for school administrators and plant operators who often frown upon such creative utilization of school property, schoolyards have an abundance of the “natural” terrain that modern skaters seek.

Compounding the usage problem is the fact that the average community lacks sufficient, safe, and quality facilities or places for skateboarding youths to use. According to The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association's Skateboard Participation Report 2003, “Skateboarding is the fastest growing “extreme” sport in the U.S. Since 1998, participation is up by 81% and frequent participation (52+ days/year) has surged by 173%.” A CTV news report estimated that there are over 1,000,000 skaters in Canada alone. Yet despite the numbers and growth, supply has not kept pace with demand in terms of facilities and programming. Without adequate places to skate that are within reasonable travel dis-

30 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

A student gets creative, a wall gets scuffed.

tances, the average school age skater simply uses the local schools as their playground. Schools are everywhere, skateparks are not. They see the fields, courts, and various other athletic opportunities provided other students by the school system and assume that they should be treated with the same degree of respect, especially in light of the fact that more students skateboard than participate in many of these other “traditional” sports.

Skateboards to students who choose that method of transportation.

A second step would be to work with the skaters in your school and determine if it is possible to provide places and times to skate on school grounds. Experience shows that treating skaters with respect and involving them in the decision making process yields positive results. Identify desirable spots to skate (i.e. benches, ledges, “gaps”, etc.) and designate some of these as skateable at certain times. Liability and insurance issues should be treated similarly to other sporting amenities provided on campus. Most Canadian municipalities treat skateparks like they do other recreational facilities with regards to Skaters adapting — the bottom stair skatestoppers force a new line. risk and liability.

The schoolyard: If the cosmetic property damage associated with skating A microcosm of the reality for skaters is deemed unacceptable, schools can try purchasing (or buildFrom a skaters' perspective, the rules, restrictions, and lack of ing) obstacles that replicate what the skaters are using and respect they encounter when they ride their boards to and at locating them in a place that deters skaters from skating in the school mirrors the reality they face in daily life beyond the “no-skate” zones. school halls. Anti-skateboarding rules, board confiscations, Other option schools may explore are forming skateand altering of benches, ledges, stairs, etc. to prevent skating board clubs or developing programming geared towards the are all common practices both at school and elsewhere. skaters in the school. A growing number of community and However, this marginalizing of a significant group of youths recreation centres are offering skate programming and the trying to practice a creative and healthy sport seems counterfeedback has been overwhelmingly positive. These clubs or productive to the overall goal of a school - to produce and programs generally involve having portable obstacles that are nurture healthy members of our community. “Cracking brought out for use after school or on weekends. Schools down” on skateboarding only serves to create anger, resentcould adopt this model and expand it to incorporate skating as ment, and increased anti-authority sentiments in skaters, and part of a physical education component. by extension students when this crack down occurs at school.

A final option would be for schools to work with municMoreover, years of cracking down on skating has done ipalities and community groups and build a skatepark on or little to deter its growth. Skaters have displayed a tenacious adjacent to school grounds. Abbotsford's skatepark, located resilience and ability to adapt. When restrictions are enforced next to a secondary school has been a very successful experiand skatestoppers used, the “problem” migrates rather than ence for both the school and the skaters. School staff has disappears. This migration results in young skaters leaving noticed a marked reduction in skating on campus and skaters the relative safety of the schoolyard and moving to more dannow have a safe, high quality facility to enjoy and develop gerous, less youth friendly places to skate. their skills. The proximity to the school also makes it easy for staff to monitor the park use during school hours. Longterm, Options: where can we go from here? building skateparks on or near school grounds opens the door Given that skateboarding is here to stay and that skaters form to extracurricular programming for skateboarding similar to a significant percentage of students participating in sport, the other intra-school competitive sports. question becomes what to do with or for them. A first step Due to the very real possibility of skateboarding becomwould be to acknowledge the physical fitness value of skating an Olympic sport and an obvious need for some level of ing as a means of transportation and to allow skaters to use conventional organization, The Canadian Amateur their boards to commute to school. Rather than banning Skateboard Association (CASA) has been resurrected to skateboards outright, provide a place for boards to be stored address and answer questions regarding skateboarding. while class is in session just as bike racks are made available Please visit their website at www.ca-sa.ca for more info.

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 31

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SCHOOL FACILITY RENEWAL

Quantifying and Managing the Issue

By Douglas J. Wall, P. Eng. Just as we face certainties in life such as death, taxes and, to varying degrees, gravity, facility managers have to deal with the incontrovertible fact that, as their building portfolios age, they require an ever increasing amount of capital investment in order to keep facilities safe, comfortable and viable for their intended use. Age related facility renewal is an issue rapidly gaining in its level of importance as North America's infrastructure grows older and, in many cases, approaches the end of its intended life span. Figure 1 shows North America's public building construction activity over the last century and the impact that the post-war construction boom will have on future renewal needs. School facilities are not exempt from the issue and many jurisdictions are having to resort to more cre-

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In keeping with the higher levels of autonomy afforded to B.C. school districts in recent years, the capital funding mechanism for K-12 facility renewal has migrated towards more local decision making and higher levels of “block” funding.

The change from the previous Annual Capital Allowance (ACA) to the current Annual Capital Grant (ACG) has essentially doubled the amount of block funding while eliminating the “small capital” category of central funding. However, along with this increased autonomy, there has also been an associated increase in accountability in the form of a subtle shift in asset stewardship responsibilities to the districts.

Despite the fact that all the “minor capital” renewal work

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Quantifying and Managing the Issue

Building Area

FIGURE 1: North American Public Building Construction

Construction Activity by Year that was previously funded centrally still needs to get done within ACG budgets, some districts might look upon the increase from ACA to ACG funding as “found money” which can lead to ACG funds not being spent on renewal as intended. Compounding this is the operating budget pressures that school districts face where it would only be natural to look for opportunities where ACG investments could generate shortterm operating budget relief. If these investments are not renewal related, however, the lack of renewal investment can only compound any existing deferred renewal problem unless the operating savings are subsequently reinvested in renewal.

For example, ACG funds should only be used on non-renewal energy efficiency measures if the resulting utility savings are retained by the facilities budget for subsequent investment in renewal (which is not always done).

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Figure 2 depicts annual renewal costs for a typical school against building age and illustrates the cumulative impact of deferring these costs (red line). While the average age of

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Quantifying and Managing the Issue incentives from BC Hydro Power Smart, NRCan and Terasen Gas. $20 $160 A classic example of how renewal-oriAnnual ented thinking can enhance the benefits of a $15 $120 Costs project is in the area of boiler replacements.

Cumulative $10 $80 Traditionally, the lengthy simple payback of Costs such measures prohibited them from being $5 $40 included in most efficiency projects. $0 $0 However, one should take into account that 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 if a boiler replacement can be paid for from Building Age (Years) FIGURE 2 energy savings, it precludes the district from having to spend scarce ACG funds on that B.C.'s K-12 facility portfolio may not be as high as other jurisreplacement in the future and the avoided capital of any such dictions such as Ontario, deferred renewal problems are only measure must be included in the business case analysis. It is a matter of time in B.C. unless the issue is quantified and not uncommon to find existing boiler plants with seasonal effiplanned for. ciencies as low as 60% and by replacing such a plant with a There are a number of commercially available software new mid-high efficiency boilers, gas consumption can be systems that can be used by school districts to quantify their reduced by as much as 30% or more. Recent gas price increasfacility renewal backlog using an industry standard measurees, combined with the recognition of the renewal benefit of ment known as Facility Condition Index (FCI). By standardboiler replacements, have made such measures important izing the implementation of such a system across the province, components of comprehensive efficiency/renewal projects. school districts would have much better information with A comprehensive efficiency project will likely not be the which to strategically plan for renewal while giving the panacea or total solution for a schools district's renewal issues Ministry the ability to adapt funding formulas to actual needs but it can make a significant contribution. In most jurisdicby tracking and projecting FCI at the district and provincial tions, access to the additional capital for such a project level. requires a transfer of the performance risk to the private sector (savings guarantee for example). In B.C., the Minister must Energy Efficiency as a approve any borrowing of funds for efficiency/renewal projFacility Renewal Strategy ects and this permission requires adequate risk transfer.

Traditional thinking regarding energy efficiency projects However, the Green Buildings B.C. program provides prein schools has been that they are merely a way of reducing approved standard procurement and contract documents to operating costs. However, as more jurisdictions start to recoghelp school districts and other public buildings owners with nize the magnitude of their current or projected renewal deficit the approval and implementation processes. and the limited capital they have to deal with it, strategic managers are looking at energy efficiency projects as a method of Other Jurisdictions creating additional renewal capital. Instead of optimizing the In 2002, the Ministry of Education in Ontario purchased simple payback of ACG investments, these managers develop a capital planning software program called RECAPP on behalf projects that maximize the amount of renewal capital that can of Ontario's 72 school districts. Physical Planning be generated which results in far more comprehensive projTechnologies Inc. (PPTI), the program's creators, coordinated ects. The theory is that if it makes sense to redirect utility the standardized technical site review of 240 million square waste back into the facilities, then one should take maximum feet of learning space in over 5000 schools and managed the advantage of the one-time opportunity to do so while interest initial modeling and population of the database. The result is a rates are at historic lows. When facility condition is factored powerful capital planning and lifecycle management tool for in, a comprehensive renewal-oriented efficiency project will the school districts while the Ministry can use the global data always generate more value for the owner than an internally to formulate funding policies and track results. The improved funded, multi-year campaign with its inherent payback term information on facility condition and renewal backlog at the limitations. This is further enhanced by increased access to district level has resulted in a significant shift in the way ACG Funded

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Quantifying and Managing the Issue Ontario school districts look at energy efficiency projects.

Utility savings opportunities are now being used as the vehicle to achieve a higher objective of creating additional capital for renewal. This has resulted in many districts financing renewal-oriented efficiency projects with amortization terms as long as 20 years.

In May 2004, the Ontario Provincial government announced an Amortization Fund, which school districts can access to help them deal with their significant deferred facili-

ty renewal problems. The Province is providing annual funding of $200 million per year, which school districts can use to finance renewal projects. This fund is expected to create more than $2.1 Billion in renewal capital which school districts finance themselves over amortization periods of up to 25 years. The creation of this fund was a direct result of the Ministry of Education's ability to the use data from the RECAPP system to generate a robust business case for additional renewal funding to take to Treasury Board (SuperBuild).

In June 2003, the Alberta Ministry of Learning, in consultation with Alberta Infrastructure, approved an amendment to the School Act Borrowing Regulations that allows school districts to borrow funds for guaranteed energy efficiency projects for up to 20 years (increased from the previous limit of 10 years).

This term extension was made in recognition of the increased flexibility it would give school districts in terms of using energy efficiency opportunities to create much needed capital for facility renewal. Alberta Infrastructure has also purchased the RECAPP system and has plans to expand its use to the individual school district level over the next 2 years.

In summary, an issue cannot be properly managed unless it can be properly measured.

Facility Condition, as measured by the level of deferred renewal for a building or portfolio (FCI) would be a good measurement of the adequacy of current funding levels as well as the effective use of that funding. It would also help identify opportunities to supplement that funding such as energy efficiency projects.

Doug Wall is Western Regional V.P. for Ameresco Canada Inc.

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 39

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CEFPI: improving the places where children learn, in Canada and the United States “We're trying to focus on the positive, on what we should be doing to improve the facilities that we have targeted for attention.”

A companion organization to SPOA, the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International (CEFPI) is a professional association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn. CEFPI members, individuals, institutions and corporations are actively involved in planning, designing, building, equipping and maintaining schools and colleges. The association serves its members through three key strategic areas: • Advocacy and education of the general public, including policymakers, on the efficacy of school design and student outcomes; resource for planning effective educational facilities.

• Training and professional development of our members and others through current program, workshops, seminars and conferences promoting best practices in creative school planning.

• Research and dissemination of information regarding the linkage between the educational facility, its design and student success.

The new president of the British Columbia chapter is Marty Cole, a professional engineer who heads school district operations in Campbell River.

“We typically have two to three events per year and these are usually focused on our roles in education,” he said. “We bring in different speakers architects, engineers and school district officials - and we always learn from representatives of the B.C. Ministry of Education.”

Typically, he said, chapter discussions centre on “green” school buildings and environmental sustainability, with a view to incorporating the information on these subjects into the design of new schools.

CEFPI's main influence on chapter members, he added, is providing research on general education and how school facilities work in the education of children. He noted the chapter has recently begun a new initiative — education research in cooperation with the

education ministry and with AIBC, the Architects Institute of B.C. Cole said the chapter is working at getting its members more involved with CEFPI activities and, on the research side, to generate studies and reports that provide input into working more effectively with government.

“We're trying to focus on the positive,” he said, “on what we should be doing to improve the facilities that we have targeted for attention.”

Jim Meiklejohn, a Kelowna architect, is the B.C. Chapter secretary, and he noted that CEFPI is also an advocate for the general public on the efficacy of school design, collecting information and promoting the importance of thoughtful design.

“It is a coming-together of professionals, with district and government people, to discuss the issues,” he commented.

A current focus is the efficient application of dollars to create “healthy buildings” focusing on environmental issues as well as indoor air quality and occupant health. “Locally, we focus on maintaining contacts with various players in the industry, mostly with meetings. Internationally, CEFPI (which has an excellent website) is more research-oriented and offers papers and pulications on trends in school design.”

CEFPI knows that much of the work of its members will be directed at making the best use of available capital and operational dollars. Members are also focusing on maintaining communication between various levels of government.

Meiklejohn noted, “There is also a trend to forming partnerships between school districts and municipalities to make efficient use of limited resources. Because the school-age population is shrinking in many parts of the province, a large number of school districts are coping with reduced funding and excess capacity, and all are exploring creative ways of dealing with these issues.”

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 41

WISHBONE INC.:

New furniture for the gym and vestibule

The utterly romantic notion of using one's jack knife to carve 'Jason loves Jennifer' inside a heart on a school bench, along with the art of other destructive graffiti, can now go the way of inkwells and mucilage with the growing use of plastics for public furniture.

Newer companies in Canada, like Wishbone Inc., of Langley, B.C., are expecting that the generation of young people attending our schools today is far more sensitive to the importance of recycling.

“In the past you never concerned yourself about loading up the garbage can” explained John Jansen, president of Wishbone, “in that we threw stuff into the garbage expecting it to kind of disappear, but now, were starting to realize our landfills are filling up - with plastic with very few land fill options available”.

42 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

British Columbia schools now encourage students to recycle products like plastic, in the hugely successful blue programs, among others, and Jansen said it's time that the recycled plastics are put to better use, to encourage further recycling.

“It's most of all an educational tool, reaching the kids when they are young,” he said. “And from a maintenance standpoint, there is also a challenge for the schools to repair and to replace. Plastic products have five times the lifespan of wooden ones and the school with a set budget can have products it doesn't have to worry about maintaining.”

Indeed, it's virtually impossible to carve visible hearts in today's plastic school benches, because their color permeates the entire product mass, and because plastic is not porous, graffiti from spray cans can be taken off much more easily.

Wishbone now carries three main product lines, by manufacturers Cascade Products, reusing post consumer plastic waste for municipal furniture, dimensional lumber and decking; Xpotential Products, reusing plastics from automobiles for such items as landscape ties and curb stops; and Polyboard, reusing industrial plastic waste for plastic sheeting.

Wishbone started out as a venture in Chase, B.C., seven years ago, to provide plastic products for back yards, and it was soon bought out by others who were seeing to provide decorative and memorial benches for municipalities. The quality of plastic that originally had presented problems in uniformity of material consistency, improved, especially with technologies perfected in Europe. Plastics were being converted into dimensional lumber in European countries that were experiencing growing populations, disappearing forests and over-full landfills.

“They took milk cartons, yogurt containers and ice cream buckets, and tested them, finding a certain consistency in consumer-based plastic,” Jansen recalled. “We soon became one of the factories larger customers realizing the applications would become an ideal product for building use - decks, etc. - with exposure to western moisture and termites.”

Wishbone began selling products made from this European technology and found success in its installation,

much as in vinyl siding, where completely different physical characteristics than wood had to be considered.

The company found a serious challenge in the local lumber industry, with its strong government support, but it was undaunted. “It takes 40 years to grow a tree and it's not as recyclable as it could be,” Jansen said.

“All our products are made from a variety of recycled plastics,” he said, “and although the industry has made several advancements in colors, dimensional and nominal lumber sizing, we need to keep reminding ourselves that they are recycled plastic and react different ways under a variety of circumstances. Although it looks like wood, it's not! Careful consideration needs to be made regarding expansion, contraction and spanning distances to ensure it performs to its maximum benefit.

Not taking these into consideration can produce is some cases disastrous results.

We've taken the guesswork out of it so now you can enjoy this maintenance free environmentally friendly product for years to come.”

Forging ahead, Wishbone now has product placements over a wide area of western Canada and the United States. Their products are being recognized by several school districts already with growth last year in selling memorial benches, that often have come about in fundraising programs, portable skate ramps for gyms, sheeting on lacrosse boxes, and parameter edging around play areas.

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 43

ROCKCraft RockCraft http://www.playwalls.com/ climbing structures are a new type of playground equipment that some parks and recreation departments are using as an alternative to more traditional equipment. I have included a bio on RockCraft below.

If you would like to interview someone from RockCraft who is directly involved in the manufacturing and design of the product, please call Ed Fischer on this cell at (604) 7887365. If you would like to interview clients who have had this product installed, please find a list of individuals below.

City of Vancouver Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Strathcona Park Venables & Raymur Street in Vancouver Purchased: RockCraft Cerro Torre climbing sculptures Contact: Debra Barnes Phone Number: (604) 718-5852 City of Richmond Thompson Community Cente 5151 Granville Avenue, Richmond Purchased: RockCraft Cerro Torre & Fitz Roy II climbing sculptures Contact: Julie Halfknights Phone Number: (604) 952-3540 or Jerry Galasso (604) 272-0410 after the 29th Corporation of the Township of Esquimalt Behind City Hall 1229 Esquimalt Road, Esquimalt Purchased: RockCraft Fitz Roy II climbing sculpture Contact: Wendy Marshall Phone Number: (250) 414-7110 x 2404

44 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

Rock Craft Designs is a leading manufacturer of playground climbing structures.

At one time, rock climbing was considered practice for the sport of mountaineering. Later, rock climbing became an established sport in its own right, and bouldering, that is climbing or traversing rocks close to the safety of the ground, became training for rock climbing. Now bouldering itself has become recognized not only as a competitive and recreational sport, but also as one of the fastest growing fitness activities in the world.

The Rock Craft climbing wall construction and risk management team has been designing, building and operating commercial climbing walls for over a decade. During that time they have introduced many thousands of young people to the confidence building activity of climbing.

Rock Craft playground climbing structures are

designed from fibre and rebar reinforced concrete and contain a fully enclosed steel support system. Each Rock Craft design incorporates the following 3 principles; safety, climbabilty and esthetics. Paying rigorous attention to safety details, each structure is created so there is no chance that a climber would strike any obstacle during a fall to the landing surface. Unsafe climbing constructions that are specifically avoided in each design include; slabs, chimneys, corners, and large ledges, which can impede a free fall to the landing sur-

face. Additionally, each design avoids cracks and horns, which can lead to entrapments or water retention in wet climates. Each structure design incorporates a variety of carefully chosen handgrips, so that a single structure can meet the needs of novice to advances climbers. A professional engineer certifies every structure design. Rock Craft has a flawless safety record; To date there have been no reported safety related issues on any Rock Craft product.

Rock Craft Designs is proud to be at the forefront of bringing this

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activity to parks and playgrounds.

Their eye-catching climbing sculptures are becoming community centerpieces, providing safe activities for children as well as challenges and training for aspiring climbers of any age or fitness level. Their public park structures do not require climbing ropes, special training, climbing equipment, or admission fees. Rock Craft's vision is to make the activity of climbing accessible to everyone.

If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to ask.

Lisa Morin Marketing & Communications Coordinator Habitat Systems Inc. Tel: (604) 294-4224 Fax: (604) 294-4002 Toll Free: 866-HABITAT (866-422-4828) Website: www.habitat-systems.com E-mail: lisa@habitat-systems.com

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 45

WE DO

by Ernie Lambert

Make a DIFFERENCE

Our industry is like no other. We do not manufacture widgets, nor do we generate a profit. Our end result is not always readily apparent. Some think it might be possible to determine our effectiveness by the number of students who successfully graduate at the end of the year, I'm not sure.

Providing a support role to education through maintenance and operations often times we may wonder about our role in the education of students. Do we have an impact? Do we affect the learning outcomes of students? Well think of the school bus driver who meets the child every morning with a smile, the role model provided by the professional attitude of the maintenance worker, the dignity provided for the students to learn in a sanitary environment provided by the custodians. You might say that is all well and good to pat ourselves on the back for the wonderful job we do, but does anyone really notice? Well I have seen the most classic example that says they do.

The graduating classes at Golden Secondary School, in Golden, B.C. traditionally have a keynote speaker at their ceremonies. They will invite local politicians, respected teachers

Ken Dang

or administrators or some other dignitary they feel have inspired them to meet the challenges in their life. In June 2004 the graduating class of Golden Secondary School invited Mr. Ken Dang to speak to them at their ceremony. Ken has worked as a day custodian at this school for some time. He has interacted with students, provided moral support, cheering, understanding and probably most important, respect.

This in turn obviously earned the respect of the students so they wanted him to be part this special time in their life. Ken did not take this honour lightly. He spent countless hours of his own time preparing his thoughts and words to share with the students. Not only that, as Ken is also an artist outside of work he created a caricature of each of the graduating students.

Personally I believe Ken has set the standard for all of us.

We need to remember why we are here, and that we can have a significant impact of the lives of our students. To read Ken's speech and to view his drawings, log on to: http://www.sd6.bc.ca/gss/ and follow the links.

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Most children are adaptable and more likely than their parents to function athletically in the harshest cold. But this does not stop their parents from worrying about where they are, especially when it comes to waiting for school buses. In Calgary, a company

website, keying in their user names and password, and see in real time where their school bus is, before they go out and wait in the cold. The system is smart enough to tell not only where their bus is, but also how long it will take to get to their stop. No more wait-

with a quarter-century of experience in high-tech sensors is taking the anxiety out of parents' minds with a new family of products.

These products include one that tracks school buses in real time, using a global positioning system (GPS).

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ing in the cold for a bus that is late (or maybe not even coming). And no more scrambling if the bus happens to be early. The system event provides the current weather conditions at the school itself. It is being installed at the Webber academy, a private school in Calgary.

48 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

“One benefit obviously is, they don't have to freeze to death out there,” says Premier GPS founder Adel Tabsh.

For access to the internet/GPS product, the public pays $5 per month, per family, “just about the price of two cups of coffee at Tim Horton's.”

Adel came up with the original concept for the GPS-based products and he fleshed out its details with his firm's technical team.

Gerard Robidoux, Premier GPS' technical representative, said the internet/GPS product originated in discussions with school transportation officials and with parents, who had concerns about knowing the whereabouts of the buses and their children. “It's quite cost-efficient,” he said, “because you don't have to install expensive equipment on the bus. It's at least as reliable as the bus driver in determining the bus location and it eliminates the time-consuming task of talking constantly with bus drivers from a dispatcher's office.”

The benefits of this product include: ✦ Increasing school bus transportation efficiency ✦ Adding to passenger safety and comfort by decreasing the wait time at the bus stop, especially in harsh weather environments ✦ Providing the parents with an accurate clock, synchronized with that

on board the buses, at the transportation supervisor's offices and at the schools ✦ Providing a text messaging system from the transportation supervisor to the buses ✦ Providing a high level of assurance to the parents that their children did actually get on the bus ✦ Providing current weather conditions to both the students and parents prior to the children going out to wait for the school bus ✦ Providing real time and accurate information on the bus' arrival time on a specific day A second product offered by Premier GPS is an in-bus, instant video capture system that records video that is synchronized with GPS, so that when it is played back, you can see where the bus was, how fast it was going, where students got on, and more.

The video capture system provides school administrators with the

ability to go back in time and view incidents that occurred on the bus. They no longer have to rely on the kids or the bus driver's account of events. Often, parents won't believe that their child would do what they are accused of. But, if the video shows that little Billy started the fight, the fact is that much harder to discount.

Not all buses are equipped with a video recorder. Installed in each bus is a box in which a video recorder can be placed. School bus supervisors rotate the video capture units between the buses. Although not all buses will have a video recorder on a given day, just the fact they might be recorded is enough to make most kids behave.

The end result is a dramatic decrease in assaults, vandalism, and just plain bad behaviour.

The Premier GPS School bus video capture system, now in use by a school district in Prince George, B.C., consists of the following items:

✦ Hornet Mark IV units installed in school buses. ✦ A transporter device used to transfer video clips from the Hornet Units to a laptop or desktop computer. ✦ A laptop or desktop computer running Windows 2000 or XP, on which the Premier GPS Video Player and Transporter Utility are installed.

The benefits of this product include: ✦ Better behaviour on the part of the kids riding the bus. ✦ There is no question about the specifics of an incident, since it is captured on video.

Because of GPS, the bus company knows exactly where there buses have been, and when they have been there. ✦ They can prove if the bus stopped or didn't stop at a particular location. ✦ Also because of GPS, you see exactly who embarked or disembarked at a particular time and location. ✦ Potentially reduced liability on the part of the bus company. ✦ Potentially reduced insurance rates.

Premier GPS is a manufacturer and distributor of global positioning systems base/reference stations, real time positioning systems (RTP's), GPS-based survey systems, GPS software, navigation and vehicle tracking systems and geographical information systems (GIS). Premier's specific field of expertise is in extracting real time accuracies of better than two centimeters from GPS signals received by nonclassified, commercial GPS sensors, making it one of only a few world wide that can accomplish such results.

Further, Premier is the only company currently marketing such systems based on low cost GPS sensors.

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. 49

INDEX TO

Advertisers

50 School Plant Officials Association of B.C.

Accurate Tree Works.....................................22 Air-Vac Services Canada Ltd........................33 Allmar International......................................24 Ameresco Canada .....................................OBC B.C. Hardwood .............................................25 B.C. Hydro Power Smart..............................12 B.C. Learning Connection ............................21 B.C. Roofing Association (RCABC)............47 B.C. Tree Service..........................................47 Bevanda Architecture......................................5 B.G.E. Service & Supply Ltd..........................9 Bio Family (Canada).....................................28 Blue Imp .......................................................34 C.E.F.P.I. .......................................................46 Clean Source ~ Johnson Diversey .............IBC Cloverdale Paint............................................39 Comac Corporation Inc...................................7 C.P. Distributors Ltd. ....................................28 Crown Publications Inc.................................22 Erv Parent Group ..........................................33 Fame..............................................................23 Fieldturf.........................................................18 Flexible Eutectic (De Dietrich).....................38 Four Seasons Insulation Ltd. ........................22 Habitat Systems Inc. .....................................20 House of Flags & Banners............................44 HPF Engineering Ltd......................................8 I.D.N. Canada ...............................................28 Janitors’ Warehouse ......................................38 Lennox Indoor Comfort Systems ...................4 Lynch Bus Lines ...........................................15 Mac Station ...................................................46 Matrix Planning Associates ............................9 McGregor & Thompson Hardware Ltd. .......26 Nace Care Solutions .....................................33 Norspec Filtration .........................................40 Old Dutch......................................................32 Pacific Controls Ltd......................................14 Panorama Technologies Ltd..........................14 Parkland Plastics ...........................................36 Physical Planning Technologies ...................50 Pomeroy Engineering Limited........................7 Power Suction Services Co. Ltd. ....................7 Primco ...........................................................34 Primex Wireless ............................................38 Quality Stage Draperies Ltd. ........................15 Reliable Controls ..........................................40 Siemens .........................................................45 Simplex Grinnell.............................................8 Shanahan’s Manufacturing Ltd.....................40 Skate Spots....................................................30 Spartacus Fitness Equipment........................22 Spider Safety Systems ..................................44 Talius Security Rollshutters........................IFC Tandus ...........................................................35 Terasen Gas...................................................27 Trane (Change Air) .......................................28 Viessman Manufacturing Co. .......................21 Wesclean .....................................................5, 7 West Coast Introductions ..............................47 West Wind Hardwood Inc.............................35 Wishbone Industries......................................43

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Better Schools Partnership®

Converting Energy Waste into School Renewal Ameresco Canada is the nation’s leader in developing energy-efficiency and facility-renewal programs for school districts. Our Better Schools Partnership® (BSP) program is a powerful and proven strategy that allows school districts to turn energy waste into much-needed facility renewal capital.

We have completed more than $250 million in comprehensive infrastructure projects in more than 2,300 schools nation-wide.

In our experience, for every dollar a school district spends on energy, up to five dollars’ worth of school renewal can be created. The key differences in our approach include: • Independent Vendors: We are “vendor neutral”, which means we do not manufacture our own products or control systems. This prevents any conflict of interest in selecting equipment, and ensures that we provide optimum value and investment retention for our clients.

• Open Book Policy: Our open and forthright approach is the hallmark of our success.

Our communications and customer involvement strategies eliminate the problems that have plagued a number of previous competitive projects in B.C. • Track Record and Experience: We have over 30 years of experience in school-facility energy engineering in Canada; turnkey efficiency/renewal projects remain our core business.

Some of our recent school district clients include:

Central Okanagan School District (BC) Elk Island Public Schools (AB) Regina Public Schools (SK) Ottawa Carleton District School Board (ON) Greater Essex District School Board (ON) Peel District School Board (ON)

Why not take a closer look at how the BSP can help schools in your area? To find out more about Ameresco Canada and the BSP, contact Doug Wall, VP Western Region at 604-684-4984 (toll-free: 1-888-883-7267), or email dwall@ameresco.com.

®Better Schools Partnership, Better Schools Partnership logo, Smarter Schools for Better Learning are trademarks and property of Ameresco Canada.