Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Parks staff hire RAFTELUS for preventive-maintenance review to reduce deferred-maintenance costs
Loading...
Summary
Elkhart City approved a professional-services agreement with RAFTELUS to analyze buildings-and-grounds operations and create a nine-month plan with five-year action steps to manage preventive maintenance and lifecycle budgeting.
Matthew Moyers, special projects member for the parks department, presented a proposed professional-services contract with RAFTELUS on Dec. 2, saying the firm was selected after reviewing several organizations for qualifications and price. "Before us, we have a contract, with a professional services group, RAFTELUS, they are offering to enter into a analysis of our buildings and grounds department, primarily aimed at improving our long term preventive maintenance and facility management," Moyers said.
Moyers described the work as a roughly nine-month implementation that will produce prioritized action steps across a five-year cycle so the city can budget proactively for equipment and facility lifecycle replacements rather than respond to surprise breakdowns. He told the board the study covers lifecycle timelines for playground equipment, boilers and other components and would include recommendations for disposition or gifting of items that are no longer useful to the city.
Board members asked whether end-of-life handling could include donating reusable equipment to community groups rather than discarding it; Moyers said that consideration would be part of the study.
The board moved to approve the memorandum of understanding for the preventive-maintenance planning process; the motion passed unanimously. Moyers said he will remain involved throughout the contract term and staff will report back on findings and recommended implementation steps.
What happens next: RAFTELUS is expected to begin analysis under the approved MOU; staff will review RAFTELUS recommendations and present prioritized budget and implementation steps in subsequent board or administrative sessions.
