Yikes! No Annual Facilities Grant. Who would have believed it? Our province cancelled $110,000,000 in life cycle replacement projects for schools. As a result, many districts are in a deficit, and many will suffer a serious value-loss – senior maintenance tradesman and construction managers who have the inside knowledge of our buildings. Yes, we understand the need to make provincial spending cuts in these tough economic times, but we also understand the importance of this targeted funding. It allows facility professionals to plan and upgrade school facilities to ensure we keep them safe and in good condition. The provincial capital asset management system (CAMS) for schools was rolled out this past summer. Facility audits on schools all around the province commenced. To date, approximately 500 audits are complete. It is anticipated that all schools (approximately 1,600) will be audited within the next three years, at which point the cost of deficiencies will be calculated. This information will help establish a funding level that will annually be required to properly maintain our schools. It is my hope that when the decision makers see this information, they will understand the dire need for this funding. The software tools which come with the CAM system will assist in illustrating that there is no economic benefit derived from deferring life cycle replacement funding. When the cost is deferred into the future, inflation and further degradation occurs and, in the end, it actually costs us, the taxpayer, more. So, enough about that … for now. It’s the beginning of a new year. As a former past president, I have started my term as president with the benefit of eight years experience gained during my time on the Executive in the ‘90s. Oh, how we have grown! Our former executives have done a fantastic job to continually improve our association. Great job, guys and gals!!
Have a great year! Cheers, Steve
RE: The “Little Flower Academy opens new wing, proudly displays cost-effective school floors with an artistic flare” article (pages 16-20, spring 2009 edition of Ops Talk). In the intervening time since the installation at this Vancouver school was completed, the school has noted wear to the decorative concrete finish. Subsequently, school officials at Little Flower Academy are dissatisfied with the aesthetics of this installation in prominent traffic areas. Ops Talk Fall 2009
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This year, your Executive has been pro-actively working on your behalf. Like the past SPOA executives, we too have a great team! We recently added an executive director to our team (Welcome, Bob!). The education committee, building on the excellent work from last year’s committee, has been diligently working on enhancing our certification program. Meetings with the British Columbia Public Schools Employers Association have occurred, and a meeting with School Plant Officials Society of Alberta (SPOSA) is planned for later this fall to further discuss future enhancements to our certification program. And then there is our conference … hat’s off to our conference committee (you’d think they were training to go to the Olympics!), which started planning our 2010 conference back in July. With a series of meetings through the summer and early September, they are well on the way to setting up a great conference for June 2010 in Penticton. Be sure to watch for information on our conference! Now back to our AFG; it is our hope that this is a one-year cancellation, and that funding to all school districts is restored next year. Your Executive has had many discussions regarding the AFG situation. As in the past, our association wants to work collaboratively and positively with the Ministry of Education, to ensure there are proper systems and practices in place that empower school districts and facility professionals to properly maintain our schools. We remain positive that due to the benefits of this annual targeted funding system, in existence for more than two decades, it will once again be restored and we will be provided with certainty. Our youth are worth it! One more thing: we have hired a consultant to work with the Executive this year to help draft our long-range plan (SPOA directions). It is our goal to present this plan to members at our annual conference next June. I’m honoured to be working with a great team, your 2009/ 2010 Executive. I look forward to an exciting year, once again representing all the members of our association. Together we will continue to build a great association, filled with members who have a wealth of knowledge and skills and are strengthened by our relationships.
Editor’s Note
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE STEVE JACKSON, ASCT, RPA, CEFM
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