SMACNA and SMART: Succeeding in the School Market

SMACNA and SMART:

Succeeding in the School Market

By / Sheralyn Belyeu Photos by / Integrated Facility Services

Millions of students in the United States attend schools

with infrastructure problems, including wasteful

HVAC conditions. With increasing interest in energy conservation, many school districts are taking a closer look at how to optimize their HVAC systems and improve indoor air quality, and they are looking for expert contractors and highlyskilled labor to complete this work.

Every school renovation, upgrade, or building project offers opportunities for SMART and SMACNA members. Because science links positive indoor air quality with increased

learning and employee morale, quality and attention to detail are paramount. Integrated Facility Systems (IFS) of St. Louis, Missouri, has current contracts in 13 municipal school systems and a wealth of experience in the school market.

The Helicopter Lift

Navitas Energy Consultants retained IFS to complete an energy conservation project at Pattonville High School that included removal of 32 HVAC units and installation of 38 rooftop units. Pattonville High is the largest high school in Missouri, but it

doesn’t have space on campus to locate a crane. To solve this problem, IFS contracted a St. Louis helicopter company to lift the project’s new rooftop units into place.

“Safety was our first consideration,” said IFS Project Manager Jay Edwards. “We scheduled the lift for winter break when no students or faculty would be on campus, and we secured all loose material in the area to prevent debris from flying in the helicopter’s rotor wash.” Careful preparation allowed IFS to lift 70 pieces of equipment in two hours with the minimum number of flights. They are on schedule to complete the Pattonville High renovation in time for school to start in August.

Labor Shortages and Tight Schedules

Working safely with a helicopter crew is just one challenge IFS has overcome. “Last year I realized that we had more school jobs than we could fulfill,” said IFS’s Manager of Production

Dana Griffin. Missouri schools start summer break in June, and students return in August. The mechanical work must be done by mid-July to allow time for the other trades. When Griffin broke the projects down into the calendar, he found that he needed eight additional craftspersons to complete the work on time and within budget.

Griffin realized that the problem was trying to finish the entire project during the summer break. In order to complete it on time, he would have to start work before school let out. Beginning in April, he sent crews of two or three to the schools as soon as students left for the day. At first the crews did preliminary work, but IFS quickly saw how successful they were and moved to actual construction. “We were like the elves and the shoemaker,” Griffin says. “We cleaned up so carefully that teachers and students didn’t even know we had been there.”

Knowing Limits

The average school board member is not in the construction trades and may not fully understand the process, and this can lead to disappointment. Recently IFS declined an exclusive bid for a school project because the time frame was impossible, Griffin says. “The engineering alone would have taken three to four weeks. It’s hard to turn work away, but if you’re going to fail, it’s better not to commit. You don’t want to let your client down or to lose money.”

Communication

IFS heads off potential problems by building strong relationships. “A good contractor is the owner’s friend,” Griffin says. “The contractor should be a trusted advisor throughout the process.” IFS gains trust by communicating with everyone from the school board to faculty members and janitorial staff, and it holds weekly planning meetings on site to keep school personnel on the same page.

“The project manager and foreman need to plan at least two to four weeks out to allow enough time to notify the correct people for each phase of the project,” Griffin says. “Hopefully

School contracts can be challenging, but success brings great satisfaction. “School projects employ my members and give us hours,” says Ray Reasons, president of Local 36. “But more than that, some of our own children attend these schools.”

you’ll be in constant contact with the regional engineer. School administrators are usually available year round in the school office. Administrators can provide contact information if you need to hunt anyone down. This year we had two interns from Southern Illinois University to support the project manager, including sending out texts, emails, and calls.”

High Quality

School contracts can be challenging, but success brings great satisfaction. “School projects employ my members and give us hours,” says Ray Reasons president of Local 36. “But more than that, some of our own children attend these schools. When Local 36 does a school project, we know that our children are comfortable and we know their air quality is up to our high standards.”

Watch the video of the Pattonville High School helicopter lift at youtube.com/watch?v=1jm7qzw9vlU. ▪

A Colorado native, Sheralyn Belyeu lives and writes deep in the woods of Alabama. When she’s not writing, she grows organic blueberries and collects misspellings of her name.