Improving Preventive Maintenance

Deferred maintenance of City buildings has resulted in the need for costly repairs and renovations and in some cases the replacement of entire buildings. Even as we are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new construction, we are continuing to allow our existing buildings to deteriorate. Poor maintenance of HVAC systems can also result in significant increases in energy costs.

Summary of Proposed Solution

We will develop specific maintenance plans for each of Newton’s 85 city-owned buildings, prioritizing preventive maintenance and reacting quickly to fix problems that can cause damage if not addressed, such as leaking pipes and roofs. Adequate funding of the maintenance plan should be given high priority and results should be monitored and tracked.

Discussion and Implementation Plan

The City is currently contemplating the reconstruction and renovation of schools and fire stations that have been poorly maintained. We must not burden future generations of Newton residents and leaders through the continuation of this pattern. We must treat our buildings as valued assets, taking care to preserve them in excellent condition with a comprehensive maintenance plan that addresses the needs of current and planned facilities. The maintenance plan should apply nationally recognized standards and reduce the total cost of ownership of these facilities by decreasing the need for extraordinary repairs and lowering energy consumption and wasted water.

The plan should include a regular schedule of preventive maintenance for each City building, including a checklist of systems in need of inspection, cleaning, parts replacement, and other routine care. As part of the maintenance plan, energy and water use should be tracked to determine whether a leaky pipe or window is causing a waste of water or energy.

The scope of the maintenance plan should also include other municipal capital assets, such as drinking fountains in parks, basketball courts, play equipment, and other permanent structures on City land.

The plan should also include Service Level Agreement (SLA) standards for how long each type of repair should take. For example, the SLA for replacing a damaged floor tile might be five days from the time it is reported, but leaky faucets should be repaired within twenty-four hours.

Maintenance costs should be benchmarked against the standard ratios of cost per square foot to maintain similar buildings in other communities and in the private sector.

Cost estimates for building maintenance should be projected forward five years and updated each year, for inclusion in both the annual operating budget and the five-year fiscal plan.

The plan should be peer-reviewed by Newton residents who have relevant expertise, including engineers, architects, and facilities management professionals.

Preventive maintenance budgets should be increased in the Fiscal Year 2011 operating budget and the complete facilities management plan should be finished by January 1, 2011.