STV Develops Custom-Made Software for Massachusetts Schools

BOSTON — New York-based architectural firm STV Inc. developed a special software program to assist the Massachusetts School Building Authority in performing a statewide needs assessment for school repairs.

The study will determine which schools could be the recipients of $2.5 billion in construction funds from the state during the next five years.

Using a program tailor-made to Massachusetts’ building specifications, the firm has been working with the authority for several months to analyze the conditions of the state’s 1,600 public schools.

“We created a custom-made software program to measure specific building conditions identified as priorities in Massachusetts law,” says Price Jepsen, AIA, director of facilities planning and programming at STV. “None of this is cookie-cutter.”

Using the MSBA’s criteria, the firm’s consultants spend two days in the field to establish whether a building is a threat to health and safety, functionally obsolete, requires energy efficiency or is in danger of overcrowding, Jepsen says.

The program operates on tablet computers, which the firm’s team members use at each site to enter details about the condition of a building’s exterior walls, roof, interior finishes, plumbing, technology systems, age and condition.

Once the information is entered, the team can generate a building condition report and upload it to the authority’s server. The report is then used to develop capital improvement cost estimates and a facility conditions index that compares statewide school conditions and repair requests.

In addition to the regular assessments, select STV staff members will perform a senior study that will target 135 schools to obtain a more in-depth evaluation, including whether a school is meeting its educational goals with appropriate programs and enough space.

The statewide study was commissioned by the authority following a four-year moratorium on school construction. To alleviate substandard conditions at many Massachusetts schools, including infrastructure problems, indoor air quality issues, crumbling exteriors and faulty roofs, the authority was authorized by the state to commit $2.5 billion in funding to school projects during the next five years. Officials believe that by working with the authority, school districts will be more likely to seek state-funded repairs than build new schools.

In the first year of the capital funding program, the authority is allowed to spend up to $500 million to cover repairs, feasibility studies, design work and initial payments for approved new construction projects.

To judge which schools were in the most critical need of repairs and should receive funding priority, the MSBA asked school districts to submit a statement of interest detailing project requests, with the most pressing needs at the top. The authority received 423 requests from 162 school districts. With the help of the STV assessments, authority officials have narrowed the initial pool to 83 schools that are now considered the leading candidates for funding.

While the 83 schools are not guaranteed funding, they will undergo feasibility studies to further establish needs and funding priorities. During the second phase, the authority will collaborate with school districts to determine the most appropriate, fiscally responsible solution to a facility’s problems, officials say.

The feasibility studies will verify enrollment projections, examine alternatives to new construction and review bid documents. Prior to the new funding program, state funding for school projects was either immediately approved or rejected with little verification or inspection. The new process is designed to force districts to justify their requests and to provide closer monitoring of repair needs and funding requests.

The schools analyzed during the second phase could eventually become the first recipients of the MSBA’s five-year capital program. Districts chosen for repairs could start receiving funding next spring, depending on the outcome of the feasibility studies, officials say.

After the studies are completed, the authority will decide which projects will get state funding. Under the program, the state plans to finance half of the cost of approved projects.

The MSBA plans to continue to continue working with the districts that were not included in the first round of cuts, officials say.

Visit STV Incorporated www.stvinc.com