Talking Stick - January/February 2014 - 45

grid, A/C and mechanical upgrades,
and a new coat of paint everywhere
before you know it. Of course, a reliable
plan drives the day-to-day maintenance
decisions when you know what projects
are on the horizon.

Steve Waller: I agree. The last several
years have been tough on higher
education, with shrinking revenues
as state funding declined due to the
recession. However, organizations that
had invested the time and resources
in a comprehensive long-term
maintenance program and housing
master plan were better prepared
to weather the downturn and take

a comprehensive housing master
plan for the renovation, construction,
and replacement of our housing
inventory. Our maintenance program
is based on four pillars: safety and
security, infrastructure, furnishings
and equipment, and upgrades and
improvements. Each year the goal is
to fund projects that support each of
the pillars. A comprehensive housing
master plan and annual facility
maintenance program can go a long
way in ensuring that your facilities are
well maintained and allows you to take
a bit out of that facility monster called
deferred maintenance. Facility staff can
plan, as well as other functions that

facility maintenance programs.

Lengowski: It's great to hear that
you have both been able to get your
institutions to take maintenance
seriously. I love the concept of tying the
facility program to the strategic plan -
it's an excellent way to tie your goals to
the deeper goals of the institution. It's
also a great way to acknowledge that
caring for buildings is an important
component in supporting student
satisfaction, well-being, and success.
I think it's useful to underscore
that deferred maintenance can be a
facility monster - as Steve pointed

I LOVE THE CONCEPT OF TYING THE FACILITY PROGRAM TO THE STRATEGIC
PLAN - IT'S AN EXCELLENT WAY TO TIE YOUR GOALS TO THE DEEPER GOALS OF
THE INSTITUTION. IT'S ALSO A GREAT WAY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CARING FOR
BUILDINGS IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT IN SUPPORTING STUDENT SATISFACTION,
WELL-BEING, AND SUCCESS.

advantage of the benefits. I have
found that the existence of established
programs is a key to establishing
the trust and buy-in of campus
leadership. With the plans on the
books, organizations were able to take
advantage of the lower construction
costs experienced during the bursting
of the bubble and the ensuing
recession. In Louisiana, we saw the
corrections to the inflated costs of
Katrina and actually awarded a contract
in 2010 for a new residence hall at the
same cost per square foot as its sister
building bid prior to Katrina. Across the
board we were seeing a 20-30 percent
correction to construction costs and alltime lows for revenue bonds.
To be in a position to take advantage
of the situation we maintain a 5-, 10-,
15-year maintenance program and

rely on the facilities for their programs,
because everyone knows what is
forecast for the near and distant future.
The best chance for long-term
success is to have your facility programs
rooted in your strategic plan to ensure
buy-in and long-term success. That
being said, you must be flexible, and
every program must be treated as a
living document because you never
know when the bubble may burst in the
economy or a Katrina may land at your
doorstep. Having a good program will
allow you to weather the storm and take
advantage of opportunities. At LSU, we
have renovated, replaced, or built new
over the last 15 years to the point where
our single student housing inventory is
57 percent new or renovated; we have
also made significant investments in

out. Without the kind of planning that
we are talking about here, deferred
maintenance can snowball and get out
of control. Just as Dave mentioned that
a roofing project can grow quickly, a
simple deferred maintenance problem
can quickly lead to other major
maintenance problems. The roof
replacement is an excellent example. If
that replacement is put off for too long,
then you are suddenly facing water
damage, repairs to finishes, replacing
equipment, and dreaded mold and
mildew problems. It's much better to
be in the position Dave mentioned - of
anticipating and managing the cost
and scheduling issues for planned
maintenance - than it is to chase down
these problems on the fly. You can plan
for when a roof should be replaced -
you cannot control when a roof will
JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2014

45
Talking Stick - January/February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2014
