Discusses the prevention of high roof repair costs by implementing a roof-maintenance program as part of a total building-condition assessment. Assessing roof conditions and establishing a critical priorities list are examined as are the five key elements to properly managing a roof system. Final comments address ways to maintain the…

Discusses the key questions facility managers should ask during the selection process for a facility-maintenance software program. Questions include ease of use, asset modeling capabilities, ease of reconfiguration, and software scaleability. (GR)

Discusses why an offer of free roofing help for a school can be very costly, as several New Jersey schools found out the hard way. Offers advice on selecting a qualified roof designer. (EV)

Provides advice on developing an effective floor and carpet-care program for public schools. Considers eight primary elements: writing cleaning procedures; establishing accountability policies; providing quality-assurance guidelines; making daily and periodic assignments; developing a continuous quality-improvement program; providing on-going…

Discusses the need for custodial training and presents training tips. Also examines how to identify what specific training may be needed for a particular school, the training areas that need frequent repeating over time, and ideas for conducting effective training classes. (GR)

The failure of a roofing system is due to inadequacies in one or more of the elements of design, material, workmanship, and maintenance. Ways to avoid roofing failure are provided. (MLF)

Good school maintenance can save money that can later be used for educational programs. Appropriate activities are listed to obtain community support. Specific areas to be addressed in a district maintenance plan are listed. (MLF)

The Minnesota Department of Health developed this guidance at the request of the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. The goal of the document is to assist school district staff of Minnesota public schools in responding to problems related to indoor mold. Its focus is on practical, cost-effective methods to identify indoor mold…

This five-part manual, intended to increase the integrity and support the longevity of school facilities, provides easy-to-use preventive maintenance (PM) system guidelines. Part 1 outlines the special considerations of school maintenance as compared to other facilities. Part 2 establishes the basic components of a PM program and provides Work…

This handbook provides process information on California's Deferred Maintenance Program, including a description of the administering body of law. Chapters discuss the program's process on the topics of basic/additional apportionment, fund release (basic/additional and critical hardship), the Deferred Maintenance Five-Year Plan, district deposit,…

An inservice training program for school maintenance employees in a suburban Chicago elementary school district has motivated the staff to feel an ownership of their jobs and to suggest ideas of their own. Both factors have helped the district save thousands of dollars. (MLF)

Advises administrators how to develop an energy master plan and how to reduce the usage of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems by means of a time clock, thermostat, and a scheduled preventive maintenance program. (MLF)

At several Michigan schools eight-foot-high glass walls have been replaced with three-foot-high insulated sash. This has reduced the heat loss through the wall by over 75 percent. (MLF)

Gerald Scott's favorable evaluation of the foamed polyurethane roofing system is based on experiences with 55 buildings at Texas A & M. Michael Kinzer, an architect at Colorado State University, disagrees and claims that the system is difficult to install and maintain, and the cost prohibitive. (MLF)

Proposes a relatively simple, reliable technique (methods timing) for developing maintenance performance standards. (Author/MLF)