TROY ISD Long Range Facilities Planning Committee Maintenance and Operations Action Plan Transportation System Action Plan

ACTION PLAN Maintenance and Operations

BACKGROUND  After a review of select resources on school building maintenance and operations, and school transportation systems, action plans to address key deficiencies in these two crucial areas have been developed.  Data were collected on the sample building through first-hand observations and an interview with the Director of Student Services, who oversees maintenance and grounds personnel in this small 2A district.  The sample building used for this action plan is a 25 year old high school building that has undergone almost no renovation since its construction. As such, significant deficiencies exist in at least five key areas.

DEFICIENCY AREA #1: BUILDING SECURITY  Entry into the building is difficult to control. There is no vestibule, so either full access must be allowed without adequate supervision, or the building must be locked, and visitors must wait to be let in, creating a negative first impression. Source: Tanner & Lackney, Action Plan Step #1: Improve security at the main entrance by routing visitors through the office. Renovation required.

DEFICIENCY AREA #2: COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS  Along with security concerns, a lack of communications systems, aside from an antiquated intercom system, are lacking. The NCES Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities (2003) suggests that schools have wireless handsets equipped with 911 panic buttons. Also, classrooms do not have telephones, and not all call buttons are operational.  Action Plan Step #2: purchase wireless handsets for each administrator. Plan future technology upgrades to include phones in all classrooms.

DEFICIENCY AREA #3: HVAC CONTROL SYSTEMS  The NCES Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities (2003) suggests that schools maintain indoor air temperature at degrees F when heating and degrees F when cooling. Extreme high and low temperatures frequently occur in the building. For example, during the summer, the heat will sometimes be triggered when the A/C overcools certain areas of the building.  Action Plan Step #3: Upgrade HVAC control systems.

DEFICIENCY AREA #4: ROOF  Roof leaks are common in the building, damaging furniture and fixtures and possibly creating indoor air quality hazards such as mold.  Repairs have been made for many years and are no longer a viable long-term solution.  Action Plan Step #4: Replace roof.

DEFICIENCY AREA #5: GROUNDS MANAGEMENT/LANDSCAPING  Expectations for attractive grounds and landscaping have increased since the construction of the building. Trees are minimal even though ample space is available for trees and other Texas native plant species that would require minimal water and maintenance.  Action Plan Step #5: Contract for a landscape design plan, then budget for phased two-year implementation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF M&O DEFICIENCIES  Cost to make needed repairs and upgrades exceeds the maximum possible allocations from the district’s M&O budget.  Cost of the repairs and upgrades will not exceed both the value and the useful life of the building. It makes financial sense to invest additional funds into this building.

FINANCIAL STRATEGY TO ADDRESS M&O DEFICIENCIES  Bond Funds  Bond funds are an appropriate source of funds for the deficiencies described in this M & O action plan.  The repairs and improvements are long-term investments in the maintenance and operation of the sample building.  The repairs and improvements will contribute toward an improved learning environment, including significant improvements in safety.  The repairs and improvements are responsive to the facilities evaluation conducted and reviewed by the committee.

ACTION PLAN School Transportation System

BACKGROUND  A comparison of the Troy High School transportation design to the Operations and Safety Around Schools: Overview of Project Activities and Findings report shows that on school property, the major design elements align with the recommendations of the report.  Examples:  School buses are staged in a single file line with right wheels to the curb. School bus pick up and drop off is separate from other student and parent traffic.  Parent drive has ample stack space, and flow is counter-clockwise, with right wheels to the curb. One possible hazard is student traffic attempting to leave at the same time as parents are picking up students. However, two lanes of traffic, one for dropoff/pickup and one for through traffic, prevent major problems. Source: Cooner, S., Wooldridge, M., Fitzpatrick, K, Crawford, J., Ford, G. (2004) Operations and safety around schools: Overview of project activities and findings. Texas Transportation Institute. Retrieved from: pdf

FINDINGS  While bus drop off and pick up area and the parent drop off and pick up areas are near ideal, improvements are needed in the surrounding car traffic and pedestrian approaches to the school.  The arrows on the map show areas of traffic backup because three schools are located on a small, two-lane street with no center turn lane. Cars often leave the pavement to pass each other when traffic is backed up. (Map next slide.)

TROY HIGH SCHOOL MAP Mays Elem. School Troy High School R. Mays Middle School

DEFICIENCY AREA #1: LACK OF SIDEWALKS  Pedestrians do not have safe routes to school from the neighborhood west of Troy High School. Sidewalks are needed to improve safety and to encourage walking and biking to school.  Sidewalks have been added to the south side of the school— partially shown on the map prior to completion. These are a significant improvement.  Action Plan Step #1: Construct sidewalks on west side of Troy High School.

DEFICIENCY AREA #2: NARROW STREETS  Main street between I-35 and Raymond Mays Middle School is narrow with no turn lane, forcing car traffic off the pavement to get around turning vehicles during drop off and pick up.  Action Plan Step #2: Widen Main Street to include a turn lane.

DEFICIENCY AREA #3: PAVEMENT MARKING AND SIGNAGE  Lack of pavement markings such as arrows and striping prevents smooth traffic flow and causes confusion.  Lack of clear signage contributes to confusion and non-compliance with traffic flow expectations.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF ADDRESSING TRANSPORTATION NEEDS  The cost of addressing the transportation deficiencies is significant, with implications for both the City of Troy and Troy ISD. The district and the city would need to collaborate to develop a plan for addressing the need.  The cost of addressing signage and striping is nominal and can be handled through the annual M&O budget.

FINANCIAL STRATEGY  Because the streets and sidewalks needed to address safety concerns on the routes to Troy High School involve a partnership with the city, the financial strategy will need to be one of collaboration. The Troy ISD board will direct the superintendent to enter into negotiations with the city to develop a plan for funding and constructing the needed street improvements. The district will need to be prepared to pay a portion of the improvements, especially for those parts of the project that are on property adjacent to district property. It may be necessary to allocate a percentage of bond funds from the construction project toward street and sidewalk improvements.  The signage and striping will be funded through the normal M&O budgeting process.  The district and the city will investigate a Safe Routes to School grant, which can provide matching funds for sidewalk improvement projects.