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Renovate or Replace: Complex
Decisions in a Difficult
Economy
David T. PeckCentral MichiganEDL 662 School Business Administration and Facilities Management
What’s the cost?
• In 2000, the mean age of school buildings in the United States was forty-two years old with twenty-eight percent of them being built before 1950 (Hunter, 2009).
• In 2000, former secretary of education articulated that while the majority of school buildings in the United States were in “adequate” condition, three-fourths reported they needed money for reparations, renovations, and modernization (Hunter, 2009).
• New York required approximately six hundred eighty million dollars to address their deferred maintenance problems.
• A 2000 National Education Association study estimated the cost to repair and modernize America’s schools was more than three hundred billion dollars.
Misconceptions and Alternatives
• Minimal cost should not translate to cheap = higher maintenance and efficiency costs over the lifetime of a school
• Does the building have historical significance?
• What is the cost of old versus new?
• Can the renovated facilities meet 21st century technological requirements?
Are there parts of the existing school that can be retained if a new school building is built?
• Archways, entrances, columns, signs, and plaques
• Generally, schools built in the 1950’s and earlier have impressive architectural character and structurally sound foundation
• can accommodate new systems, and are often fixtures in a neighborhood or community (Greim, 2005)
• Chan and Richardson (2005) suggest renovation would be the preferred due to the communities strong emotional attachment to school buildings.
• Designers and architects should consider the esthetics and character of the surrounding community during the design phase.
Leaning Towards Renovation?• The cost of construction has significantly risen
• Inflation rates
• Residential development have slowed dramatically
• Policastro (2008) states that the average cost per square foot to renovate is $110.
Setbacks and Considerations
• Chan and Richardson (2005) state that many older schools no longer meet present day codes
• Chan and Richardson (2005) state that within any renovation project is the possibility for unforeseen conditions.
• Without a growing tax base, state governments lack the fiscal resources to fund the building of new schools (Policastro, 2008.)
Thinking Outside the Box
• Enable some school districts to save money that can be utilized to renovate or construct school buildings in their communities.
• Warehouses, former banks, and even hospitals are being transformed into school buildings (Pennsylvania Department of Education).
• Neighborhoods are benefiting by bringing these neglected structures back to life while typically requiring less time and money to complete new construction.
Penn Elementary (PA)
Reading School District in Pennsylvania has also joined with nearby Albright College to build a new football stadium.
In Conclusion
• Open lines of communication must be in place between policy makers, superintendents, communities, school building site experts, and communities
• Be knowledgeable about surrounding community and culture
• Anticipate resistance to change
• Must keep students interest at the forefront
