East Aurora Advertiser

Building Conditions Survey Highlights Potential District Repairs



The East Aurora Union Free School District is currently gathering information for a capital project with an estimated cost of between $14 million and $22 million. School districts in New York State are required to complete a Building Conditions Survey (BCS) detailing and grading the condition of the public facilities so that school districts can prepare and budget for capital projects and file the report with the state education department every five years. 

East Aurora completed its most recent BCS report in 2021 and a separate report is filed with the state education department for all school facilities. The district is using this data to develop a plan for a new capital project that the administration is hoping that the school board will approve in August. If approved, it will be presented to the public for referendum in December.

The district worked with the architectural firm Young + Wright Architectural from Buffalo on the report to look at hundreds of areas within the district ranging from swimming pools, doorways, windows, heating and cooling units to parking lots. 

There are five grading categories for features within the district: Excellent, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory, Non-functioning and Critical failure. All of the items in the district’s BCS survey received either an Unsatisfactory or Satisfactory grade, except for the hot water boiler at the middle school, which was graded as a Critical failure. 

District buildings are also given an overall grade based on the interior component grades. Each building received an overall Unsatisfactory grade.

If the district were to address every recommendation or issue in the report, construction costs could be an estimated $32 million. This cost could change based on the bid process, as the district is required to put the items out bid to contractors. However, the administration is not seeking a capital project that would cover every repair addressed in the report. 

Details of the project are being finalized and will be discussed at the next school board meeting scheduled for July 13 at 7 p.m. at the East Aurora Middle School.

Parkdale

In the BCS, a finding states that Parkdale Elementary could use nearly $5 million in repairs. The electrical system, last addressed in 2016, received an Unsatisfactory grade. The report said that the system is expected. The north parking lot by Girard Avenue was installed in 2008.

“A majority of the parking lot remains in decent condition but there are signs of cracking beginning to occur. Eastern parking lot shows significant signs of cracking and wear and tear,” the report said. The estimated cost to repair is over $1 million.

The exterior steps and ramps that are made out of concrete and installed in 2007 are Unsatisfactory and the cost to replace them is $84,000. The report says that they have 3-years left.

The interior doors also received an Unsatisfactory rating because “several doors do not latch or close easily.” They were installed in 2014 and are expected to last another 5-years. The estimated cost to replace the doors is $55,000.

A rooftop fan used for ventilation and the air conditioning unit, which were both addressed in 2019, received an Unsatisfactory rating. Replacing these items is projected to cost $800,000. 

Middle School

If all repairs were made at the Middle School as outlined in the BCS, the cost would be over $10 million. The school’s copper pipe system for water, which was installed in 2004, received an Unsatisfactory rating and is expected to last three more years. The BCS recommends that the district “replace existing water service and booster pump system with new, correctly sized system.” The cost to replace the system is estimated at $65,000. 

The BCS recommends upgrading the light system to LED lights at both the middle school and at Parkdale. The estimated cost to make this renovation at the middle school is $50,000. The document said that updates to the masonry on the exterior of the building would cost over $1.2 million and should be addressed within the next five years. The exterior steps, stairs and ramps,  installed in 2018, received an Unsatisfactory rating and are estimated to cost $76,000 to repair. 

The elevator, which the district may replace, received a Satisfactory rating. It was last addressed in 2016 and replacing it could be $200,000. 

High School

The High School has the most needs, with the BCS highlighting $16 million in possible repairs. Upgrading the lighting system to LED would cost an estimated $500,000. The parking lot near the main entrance and the sidewalks were rated as Unsatisfactory and would cost $2 million to replace. 

Some of the $16 million figure is attributed to the school’s athletic fields. At the athletic complex, the areas that the report said should be addressed are the softball diamond, baseball diamond and tennis courts. The district recently spoke about increasing the size of the tennis courts from six to eight, moving the courts to a new location and adding lights. The BCS says that this project could cost $4.2 million.

The report also addresses the skylights at the high school, which are showing signs of wear and cracking. It says they were installed or repaired in 2015, have one year of life left and are estimated to cost $2.6 million.

“Remove existing roof membrane, coping, flashings, and insulation. Provide additional insulation, cover board, single-ply membrane, and all flashings and copings. Provide fall protection at hatches. Replace damaged skylights,” the report recommends.

The rooftop ventilation system at the high school, which was installed or repaired in 2018, received an Unsatisfactory rating and it’s expected to last for five more years. Replacing it would cost $2.7 million.

The report also suggests replacing the doors and updating the forced air furnace, exhaust fans and fire alarms in the storage building at the high school, which was built in 2009. These repairs, among others, could total $350,000.

A copy of the East Aurora Building Conditions Survey can be found alongside this article at www.eastaurorany.com.

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