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Consultants tell Southern Columbia schools: aging boilers, plumbing and electrical systems need prioritized attention
Summary
SiteLogic consultants told the Southern Columbia Area School District Facilities Finance Committee they found multiple mechanical, plumbing and electrical assets in "alarm" or "alert" condition and recommended targeted testing and prioritized projects; the firm offered grant-writing and ESCO services to help fund work.
SiteLogic consultants presented a district-wide facilities condition assessment and urged the Southern Columbia Area School District to prioritize mechanical, plumbing and electrical projects after identifying numerous assets that have passed or are approaching the end of their service life.
Kathy Keegan of the consulting team said the firm conducted a ‘‘blacktop-to-rooftop’’ assessment, recording floor plans, site plans, 360-degree photos and asset-level data in the firm’s asset-management platform. "We describe that as our blacktop to rooftop assessment," Keegan said, adding the firm assigns condition scores (alarm, alert, acceptable, excellent) that feed a prioritization strategy for capital planning. Keegan said the district’s historical documentation was unusually detailed and helped the team prepare project recommendations.
A senior development engineer working with the team described specific technical concerns, saying some boiler and pumping equipment dates back to mid-century construction and sanitary piping will likely require video scoping or destructive testing to determine remaining viability. The engineer warned that some domestic systems are "past service life," that instantaneous water heaters and rooftop air-handling units were aging, and that certain controllers and electrical distribution components are overloaded and should be investigated.
District staff also described a recent domestic-water outage at one building caused by a failed low-level float in a storage tank that shut pumps down; staff credited on-site teams and food-service staff for meeting immediate needs while replacements and repairs were ordered. Facilities staff said they are reviewing alarm notifications so earlier alerts can be acted on.
SiteLogic emphasized that the presentation focused on condition and prioritization only; the firm will return next week with budget estimates and said it can help prepare grant applications. Keegan reviewed multiple grant streams the firm has helped other districts access, including state school facilities grants, environmental abatement funds and Commonwealth Finance Authority (CFA) programs. She recommended the district consider hiring the firm as an ESCO to streamline scoping and grant submission work.
The committee did not take any formal action during the presentation. Staff and the consultants agreed to reconvene with preliminary project budgets and financing options at the next meeting.
