Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues SUMMARY Passage of SB 211 by the 83rd Texas Legislature transferred the facility management responsibilities for the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) campus to TFC. These responsibilities include everything from the day-to-day maintenance of the facilities to the implementation of deferred maintenance (DM) programs. As part of the transfer, TFC received twelve full-time equivalent (FTE) positions and the associated personnel and operating revenues from TSD. Effective September 1, 2013, TFC assumed these responsibilities for the 67.5 acre TSD campus that currently houses 47 buildings, sports facilities, parking lots, and miles of underground utility infrastructure. In the past year, significant and wide-ranging areas of concern regarding maintenance have become apparent at the campus. Underground utility infrastructure is at the point of failure. Dormitories at the end of useful life must be replaced. Major mechanical and electrical systems require replacement. Some buildings cannot be safely occupied and have been vacated. Security, fire, and emergency electrical life safety systems are compromised. TFC’s strategy is to address these urgent, near-term, and long-term issues through a coordinated program of emergency funding and several exceptional item requests for the highest priority capital projects affecting health, life safety, and continuity of operations at TSD as well as for development of a Master Plan for the campus. Exhibit A lists the deferred maintenance issues observed by TFC at the campus over the past year. Additionally, TFC has responded to numerous unforeseen issues that have required urgent attention such as catastrophic electrical failures, mechanical system failures, plumbing and sewer system failures, and other deficiencies caused by historic lack of repairs and preventative maintenance. New deficiencies continue to emerge and known deficiencies will continue to escalate in both scope and cost. Based on updated assessment, capital funding for TSD transferred to TFC that was originally budgeted to cover 14 projects is now estimated by TFC to be sufficient to fund only 3 of the 14 projects. Given the expenditures that have been required to date to deal with the most urgent of these deficiencies at TSD, and combined with regular and preventative maintenance activities, TFC anticipates that the expenditures that will be required during the remainder of the current biennium will negatively impact TFC’s normal operating and maintenance budget and will require operating funds originally budgeted for other TFCmaintained facilities in and around the Capitol Complex to be redirected from those facilities to TSD. Due to the sustained need for this level of day-to-day maintenance activities at the campus, it is imperative that the funding level of FY2014-2015 operating revenues for TSD remain in TFC’s baseline budget request for FY2016-2017. URGENT CAPITAL PROJECT NEEDS Since September 2013, TFC has carried on the customary maintenance activities for a campus of this type while expending considerable effort in assessing the maintenance needs for the campus and responding to numerous maintenance emergencies. These December 2014 Page 1 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues emergencies have included electrical outages caused by failures in the medium voltage subsurface electrical distribution system. While diagnosing the electrical system failures, TFC discovered a significant contributing factor to be standing groundwater in the manholes. Investigation into the condition and performance of all key subsurface utility manholes was conducted only to discover the standing groundwater was causing significant deterioration of the utility systems. A number of the manholes had provisions for sump pump systems to keep the water levels down, but those systems had apparently failed years ago. As a result of the standing groundwater in the manholes, significant deterioration of insulation systems on chilled and hot water piping has been observed as well as considerable corrosion on the pipes and valves. The deteriorated thermal utility system is at risk of failure and corroded valves are now inoperable, prohibiting isolation of portions of the system for regular and preventative maintenance. Funding of this urgent capital project was requested to replace the deteriorated portions of the utility systems, restore the operability of the distribution systems, and provide a monitored groundwater management system to keep the manholes dry while protecting the condition of the utilities. The estimated cost of approximately $800,000 includes design, construction, project management, and costs for testing and inspection. Additionally, TFC’s assessment of campus conditions has identified as critical the roofing projects that had originally been planned for 11 buildings. However, due to funding constraints discussed above, there was not sufficient funding to allow these critical projects to proceed at this time without some type of emergency supplemental appropriation. Postponing these badly needed repairs would only increase the potential risk for catastrophic building envelope failures, particularly in the event of heavy rainfall over the next few months. Design work for a small and currently affordable portion of the critical roof work, gutter flashing and repairs, has been completed and will be funded from the $4.5 million. TFC included the badly needed and more comprehensive roofing work as an alternate item in the bid solicitation to allow that item to be awarded if additional funding for roofing was to be made available at this time. Performing the roofing work concurrently with the gutter and flashing repairs will greatly reduce the risk of roofing failures that could affect the continuity of operations at the school. The total estimated cost of the bid alternative for roofing work is approximately $1,250,000. The condition of the roofing systems and the electrical utility infrastructure makes it critical to fund these projects prior to the 84th Legislative Session’s appropriation process in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic building failures and/or a campuswide electrical system failure. The campus provides residential facilities for a vulnerable population and cannot be without power for extended periods. The critically needed thermal utility system repairs will require shutting down cooling and heating generation and this requirement, coupled with the lead time necessary to obtain the replacement valves, make TSD’s spring break in March 2015 the next window of opportunity to perform the repairs. For these reasons, TFC identified funding sources in the agency’s current appropriations to allow the roofing work to be performed over TSD’s 2014 winter break and to allow the hydronic system work to be performed during TSD’s 2015 spring December 2014 Page 2 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues break. On December 12, 2014, TFC was notified of LBB approval to use the identified funds. NEAR-TERM AND LONG-TERM CAPITAL PROJECT NEEDS The critical areas of concern described in Exhibit A include underground utility infrastructure, dormitories and other buildings, major mechanical and electrical systems, and security, fire, and emergency electrical life safety systems. TFC’s deferred maintenance request, submitted as an exceptional item in the agency’s FY2016-2017 LAR, includes approximately $38 million for immediate high priority capital projects at TSD as listed on Exhibit B. This funding level is requested in addition to the approximate $2 million in emergency funding needed for the urgent capital needs discussed above. Including these urgent and near-term capital project needs, the overall scope of DM projects at TSD is currently estimated to total approximately $109 million. This estimate is based on a very high-level DM assessment prepared in 2006 for TSD by a consulting firm that has subsequently been updated by another consultant and, most recently, by TFC staff. TFC believes it is important to prepare an overall and more detailed assessment of the school’s assets in order to plan a sustainable remediation effort. To accomplish this more detailed assessment, TFC has included an exceptional item request in the amount of $846,000 for a master plan (MP) to address capital project needs at the campus. The MP will evaluate and prioritize the myriad of items into a comprehensive action plan and will ensure the most accurate budget estimates for future funding requests for each plan component. The requested funds will cover professional architectural and engineering master planning services, as well as specialized sub-consultant services. These specialized services will provide greater detail for infrastructure and facility needs. The funds will also allow for outreach efforts to obtain input from students, school staff, parents, residents of the surrounding community, representatives of local and state government, and other interested parties and stakeholders. This effort will require a significant investment in time and resources. TFC is prepared to begin the effort immediately upon receipt of funds, with completion of the MP estimated to take eighteen months. Without a master plan, the Commission can still meet its obligations to maintain TSD assets but is likely to do so more inefficiently and at potentially higher costs. Infrastructure will be a key focus of any level of analysis managed by TFC and will allow for a deeper understanding of how systems can become more functionally efficient. Significant reduction of electrical and water consumption can be achieved through a careful review of existing systems and proposed improvements. December 2014 Page 3 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues EXHIBIT A – TSD DM ISSUES OBSERVED SINCE 09/01/2013 Campus-Wide Systems: Underground Electrical Distribution System: Need to replace remaining conductors, switches, and transformers; confirm that all work previously completed is properly installed and identified. The original scope was to replace the west portion of the loop but had to be expanded to include the entire loop after the power outages. - Need to drain existing manholes to perform the work and install sump pump system to keep manholes dry. - Early estimates indicate that 14 to 15 power outages will be required, each one requiring 5 to 7 days of downtime. Will require temporary/portable system installation to keep critical facilities operational. Sanitary Sewer System: - Replace sewer serving Dormitory Cottage #564: o The line is 80% collapsed and students had to be moved out of the cottage. o Replacement requires the abatement of asbestos-laden floor tile and mastic so concrete floor can be cut to access line. o Unknown quantities of contaminated soils will need to be removed. o According to former TSD staff, the condition has existed for approximately 8 years. - Confirm ownership of “City” sanitary line running through campus – some leakage in lines has been observed. - Growing concern that a significant portion of the sanitary sewage system piping is old and failing. Thermal Utilities Tunnel: - Need to repair and replace chilled water & hot water lines and valves, and have all lines reinsulated, as a result of damaged incurred by extended submersion in flooded tunnels: o TFC will explore replacing lines that are not as severely damaged but only have an expected 10 years of usable life left. o Former TSD staff reports that the submerged line condition existed approximately 10 years which is consistent with the amount of damage observed. TSD staff alerted management who asked them to price out replacement of sump pumps. Management determined that pumps were too expensive and directed staff to periodically pump out manholes manually using a small portable pump. After a time, this task was no longer performed and the matter was apparently forgotten. o This work will require an extended utility outage and temporary/portable system installation to keep critical facilities open and operational. o There is presently no funding for any of this work – estimate is holding at $1.5M. - Fiber optics line that traveled through tunnels has been damaged and is only 43% functional. Engineers have deemed the line too degraded to be used. Potable Water System: - Shut-off valves for buildings are not functioning properly. There is still approximately 30% flow coming through the lines when fully shut. December 2014 Page 1 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues Fire Alarm System: - The system as a whole is operating at a very minimal level. - Most fire alarm control panels are yellow-tagged and some are red-tagged by the State Fire Marshal. - Damaged fiber optic line that runs through the thermal utility tunnel connected the fire alarm panels to a central panel but no longer functions due to the flooding in the tunnel. Clock System: - Existing analog system used for visual cue for class times and also intertwined with fire alarm system needs to be converted to a wireless system. - TFC suspects that the analog system was compromised by the copper conductors serving the system having been submerged in the flooded thermal utilities tunnel. Security System: - There is no functioning security system; remnants of the campus-wide system need to be replaced and augmented. Building Controls Network: - Not functioning. Buildings must be manually controlled. Fuel Systems: - The underground unleaded fuel tank has microbial corrosion. - The dispensing station should be replaced. Underground Utility Mapping: - The initial results of the mapping show that there are significantly more utilities underground than originally thought. - It is presently unclear what purpose the newly discovered underground utility lines serve and the current condition of these lines. Campus Physical Plant: Chillers – 3 total: - All 3 chillers are being reconditioned but should be replaced due to their advanced age of 30+ years. Industry standard useful life of chillers is 25 years. Reconditioning should ensure their operation until the replacements are funded. Cooling Tower: - TFC performed preventive maintenance (PM) on the drain pan which exposed numerous leaks. Leaks were repaired at additional cost. - Former TSD staff indicated that last PM performed on the basin occurred approximately 4 years ago. The PM should be completed every 2 years. Boilers – 3 total: - 1st boiler has been removed in its entirety since it was not working – relying on the other two boilers until it can be replaced. - 2nd boiler should be replaced but there are insufficient funds to do so. - 3rd boiler should be replaced but there are insufficient funds to do so. December 2014 Page 2 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues Roof Exhausts: - The exhaust fans are broken and need to be replaced. The fans form a part of the smoke evacuation system in case of fire. - Roof flashing around the exhaust is compromised, allowing rainwater into the building. Rainwater falls onto the boilers and may have contributed to the failure of the boiler that had to be removed. - Former TSD staff indicated that the leaks have been going on for approximately 8 years. Buildings: General Building Items across the Campus: - Fire Sprinkler System: o Performed PM on 4 backflow preventers and replaced leaking diaphragm valves. Unclear when they last received PM. o Repaired 2 backflow preventers that were installed incorrectly (not to code) so TFC was not able to PM or test. The incorrect (backwards) installation appears to date from the original building construction in the 1980’s. - Copper Roofs: o Gutters at these roofs have an internal neoprene membrane covering joints and anchors. This membrane has a useful life of approximately 10 years. o Most of these roofs are over 30 years old and there is no evidence that the membrane has ever been repaired/replaced. o When the membrane is compromised, it allows water to penetrate through the anchors and into the exterior walls supporting the gutters. Once the water is inside the exterior walls, it migrates into the interior of the building and causes damage to interior finishes and systems. Health Center #5705: - This building acts as a clinic for the school and TFC considers it among the most important buildings on campus from a health, safety, and welfare standpoint. - The emergency generator serving the building has been inoperable for the last 8 years. - The generator provides power to the entire building in case of a power outage. Cafeteria #503: - The building needs a new boiler. - The DM 16-17 LAR includes new mechanical systems and plumbing repairs. Dormitories: - The six cottages (# 564 – #570) at the northwest corner of the campus are in the worst shape of all campus dormitories. They desperately need: o new boilers and HVAC systems o window replacements o electrical system replacement o plumbing repairs o roof replacement o asbestos abatement - It is difficult to justify making improvements to the six cottages given their poor structural condition. TFC believes a better value for the State is to demolish the existing structures December 2014 Page 3 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf- Maintenance Issues - and replace them with new, state-of-the-art facilities. The six structures could be replaced by a single building, leading to greater operational and energy efficiencies. The rest of the dormitories are in generally good shape but those built in the 1980’s need to have the mechanical systems replaced that are beyond the end of their useful lives. Classroom Buildings: - Most classroom buildings need to have the ductwork distribution system cleaned. - The Middle School/High School building needs to have all variable air volume boxes replaced and pneumatic controls replaced with digital direct control systems. R. L. Davis Auditorium Building #544: - There are major vertical cracks in the exterior masonry skin of the building. - The roof is allowing water to pond and needs to be replaced. Kleberg Building #514: - The foundation along the east side of the building appears to have water infiltration problems. - The roof needs to be replaced. - A glass entry has leaks. - The building appears to have a bat problem. LeRoy Colombo Swim Center #518: - The air conditioning system is not working. Former TSD staff reports that it has not worked for the last 6 years. - The roof structure is displaying signs of deterioration that appear to be related to the nonfunctioning air conditioning system. - The pool equipment is past its useful life and must be replaced in order to avoid failure. Business Services Building #508: - HVAC system is undersized and cannot adequately cool the building. Heritage Center #509: - The building has no heating system. Maintenance Transportation Shop # 511: - The compressed air piping in the building is PVC and is not appropriate for 110 PSI pressures. December 2014 Page 4 Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf – Maintenance Issues Exhibit B Exhibit B Capital Projects for TSD included in TFC’s FY2016-2017 Exceptional Item Request for Deferred Maintenance Project Description Amount TSD Bldg 500 - Repairs fire alarm/suppression system and 217,508 architectural repair to masonry control joints. TSD Bldg 501 - Replaces fire alarm systems, boiler, and repairs 1,023,943 electrical, plumbing systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 503 - Repairs gutters, mechanical, plumbing systems, and 158,926 architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 504 - Repairs fire sprinkler/alarm systems, and architectural 118,930 finishes. TSD Bldg 506 - Repairs mechanical systems. 5,282 TSD Bldg 507 - Repairs electrical systems, and architectural finishes. 780,619 TSD Bldg 508 - Repairs fire alarm system, roof covering, and 985,672 architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 509 - Repairs fire alarm system, mechanical systems, and 56,457 architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 510 - Repairs mechanical, and plumbing systems. 441,228 TSD Bldg 511 - Repairs mechanical, and architectural finishes. 64,962 TSD Bldg 512 - Repairs fire alarm system, mechanical, roofing 468,031 systems, and plumbing systems. TSD Bldg 513 - Repairs technology system, and gutters. 61,565 TSD Bldg 514 - Repairs roofing system, lighting and architectural 1,325,980 finishes. TSD Bldg 515 - Repairs fire alarm system, structural, mechanical, 1,308,734 structural, roofing systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 516 - Repairs gutter, architectural finishes, and 413,638 enhancement to indoor air quality. TSD Bldg 517 - Repairs mechanical, electrical, plumbing system, and 1,801,620 architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 518 - Repairs fire alarm system, mechanical, roofing, 1,417,447 plumbing system, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 519 - Repairs fire alarm, and electrical systems. 765,688 TSD Bldg 521 - Repairs fire alarm system, roofing, mechanical 184,389 systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 522 - Repairs structural, plumbing systems, and 82,707 architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 523 - Repairs structural, plumbing systems, and 59,644 architectural finishes. Texas Facilities Commission Texas School for the Deaf – Maintenance Issues Exhibit B TSD Bldg 524 - Repairs electrical, plumbing, roofing systems, signage, and site. TSD Bldg 526 - Repairs gutters, mechanical systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 527 - Repairs mechanical, site communication systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 528 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 529 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 530 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 531 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 532 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 533 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 544 - Repairs fire alarm systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 564 - Repairs architectural finishes, roofing, and mechanical systems. TSD Bldg 565 - Repairs architectural finishes, roofing, mechanical systems, and boilers replacement. TSD Bldg 566 - Repairs mechanical, roofing systems, architectural finishes, and boilers/chillers replacement. TSD Bldg 567 - Repairs fire protection system, mechanical, roofing systems, architectural finishes, and boilers replacement. TSD Bldg 568 - Repairs mechanical system, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 569 - Repairs fire alarm, mechanical systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 570 - Repairs fire alarm, mechanical systems, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 5705 - Repairs gutters and replaces electrical generator. TSD Bldg 5706 - Repairs gutters. TSD Bldg 5707 - Repairs gutters. TSD Bldg 5708 - Repairs gutters, and architectural finishes. TSD Bldg 5709 - Repairs mechanical, and electrical systems. TSD Bldg 5714 - Repairs architectural finishes. TSD Bldg Toddler Learning Center - Repairs fire alarm system, roofing, and floor covering. Total Requested 352,913 73,282 73,282 5,084 5,084 5,084 5,084 5,084 5,084 157,315 1,219,302 1,788,138 1,788,138 1,246,001 1,858,032 781,000 2,470,719 451,968 48,831 48,831 72,743 13,211,581 45,621 268,430 37,729,601