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Fairfax High says campus is ‘bustling’; EV chargers, outdoor classroom and HVAC maintenance highlighted
Summary
Fairfax High School reported increased community use and about $83,000 in annual revenue from facility rentals; staff described full custodial coverage (19.5 positions), active community partners, 13 staff users of EV chargers, planned flooring replacements and ongoing HVAC issues in several wings.
Fairfax High School staff told the City of Fairfax School Board on Nov. 3 that community use of the campus has rebounded fully from the pandemic, with multiple concurrent events most days and roughly $83,000 in revenue for the year.
"If you drive by, you will see the parking lot is absolutely bursting at the seams," community youth specialist Giselle Gray said, describing athletics, community rehearsals and multilingual family dinners. Gray said the building now has 19.5 custodial positions staffed across shifts and that the school hosted several county and community events in recent weeks.
Gray discussed specific facilities items: an "open gate" morning arrival pilot that is operating smoothly; newly installed EV charging stations used regularly by 13 staff members during school hours (staff-only access from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.); and plans to replace flooring in three classrooms over the winter break as part of an ongoing program that still lists about 52 classrooms remaining for future replacement.
On HVAC, Gray described multi‑zone units that occasionally "trip out" in three wings (A, C and E) and said FCPS is recommending continued preventive maintenance to extend unit life until larger renovations. "They are very responsive," Gray said of the vendor, adding that repairs are usually completed the same day though there may be a roughly one-hour delay if a unit fails when the building engineer is offsite.
The school is also hosting an outdoor-classroom project (near Door 11, adjacent to the academy entrance) that staff said could take about six months and extend into early summer; work observed includes water hookups, planters and paving preparation. Gray said the school will also replace a failing fence at the loading dock and has moved picnic tables to create outdoor eating and instruction spaces.
Gray listed recurring community partners and programs using the facility, including the Vienna Arabic Language School (about 150 students on Sundays), Fairfax City Parks and Recreation (fields and athletics), the City Band and adult English and workforce classes. She said the school's student tech program employs four paid student technicians (with others in hiring), who run lights, audio and event cues.
Board members asked about details such as which HVAC wings were most problematic and whether the EV chargers had created parking or loitering problems; Gray said no significant issues had arisen. Questions about painting, classroom repairs and flooring funding elicited responses that FCPS manages many work orders and that the City and school are coordinating on scheduled renovations.
Gray closed with a revenue summary showing approximately $83,000 in community-use revenue for the year, roughly $3,000 less than the prior year, and said the difference related to efforts to reduce event staffing costs so community groups are not overcharged.
