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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ative solutions to quantify and manage the problem. 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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