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Message from the Director, DoDDS Pacific
The
acquisition, repair and maintenance of DoDDS Pacific’s
school facilities is extremely important in creating a productive
learning environment for our students and school staff,
and plays a key role in our achievement of the DoDEA Community
Strategic Plan Goal 2, Performance-Driven, Efficient Management
Systems. The extent of our commitment to maintaining and
improving school facilities is evident from the $13-15 million
dollars we spend each year on repair and maintenance, and
the $20-30 million worth of new or replacement schools and
additions to existing schools constructed each year.
I am intimately involved in
this program, from participating in the DoDEA prioritization
process for major construction projects, to reviewing several
times a year the major repair and maintenance projects that
my facilities staff oversees. I expect that school principals
have a thorough knowledge of their school's facility needs
and take an active role in requesting those projects from
the district superintendent. I feel that the district superintendent
has a very important role in this process by annually reviewing
each school's projects on a face-to-face basis with the
school principal. Only by this personal proactive involvement
by each manager at the school, district, and Director’s
Office can we be effective in getting the right projects
done at the right time.
The DoDDS Pacific facilities
program is very complex. Some of this complexity is because
of subdivisions within the program due to program categories,
and some to the different sources of funds for the different
program categories. The facilities program is subdivided
as follows:
a. Recurring repair and maintenance (R&M). These are
small repairs and maintenance limited to a maximum of $10,000
per action. Examples are fixing toilets, spot painting rooms
and hallways, replacing broken doors and glass, repairing
minor leaks, and adding electrical outlets to a single room.
These items can be completed in a short period of time,
usually measured in days or weeks. The district is funded
for this category, and allocates funds directly to schools
or maintains a central fund to pay for the actions initiated
by the schools. Last year, the schools in Korea, Japan,
and Okinawa spent almost $3 million on recurring R&M.
The Domestic Dependents Elementary and Secondary Schools
(DDESS) separately fund the Guam schools for this. This
portion of the program is handled entirely at the school
and district level.
b. R&M projects. These include minor construction and
major repairs and maintenance costing more than $10,000.
Examples are partitioning rooms, removal of asbestos containing
material, paving sidewalks and parking lots, interior and
exterior painting of buildings, and repair or replacement
of roofs and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. These projects
can take anywhere from a few months to several years to
complete, depending on the size and complexity of the project.
Schools plan for R&M projects five years into the future
through their portion of the DoDDS Pacific Five Year Maintenance
Plan (FYMP). The DoDDS Pacific Facilities Branch spent
a little over $12 million on R&M projects for the Korea,
Japan, and Okinawa schools last year. The Guam schools are
separately funded for this by DDESS.
c. Major construction projects. These include new schools,
replacement schools, and school additions. We have responsibility
and obtain the funding for all Pacific schools including
Guam. Funding for major construction projects for the Korea
and Guam schools is obtained from the U.S. Congress. Construction
is accomplished by the Corps of Engineers, Far East District
in Seoul for the Korea schools, and by the Naval Facilities
Engineering Command in Hawaii for the Guam schools. Funding
for major construction projects for the Japan and Okinawa
schools is obtained from the Japanese government and construction
is accomplished by the Corps of Engineers, Japan Engineer
District at Camp Zama, for these schools. Major construction
projects take from four to ten years to complete, mainly
due to the time it takes to request and program them through
the U.S. Congress or Japanese government program and budget
cycles.
Examples of large R&M
projects recently funded include the ongoing multi-phase
HVAC replacements at Amelia Earhart IS ($1,310K) and Bob
Hope PS ($1,330K); Sullivans ES cafeteria renovation ($387K);
Yokota East ES roof repairs ($641K); Yokota West ES roof
replacement ($487K); Zama HS HVAC chiller replacement ($241K);
Seoul ES Bldg. 3579 asbestos abatement and restoration ($1,078K);
Seoul HS exterior painting ($103K); Taegu ES/HS built-in
classroom cabinetry ($104K); Kadena ES phase 2 asbestos
abatement ($368K); and Killin ES playground equipment replacement
($292K).
Recent major construction
projects that have been completed include the new Yokota
MS, Sullivans ES additions, Darby ES addition, and Bechtel
ES addition. Currently under construction are the replacement
Arnn ES, new Yokosuka MS, and Killin ES addition. Future
projects include the Guam South ES/MS replacement, Guam
HS replacement, Taegu ES/HS addition, new Seoul MS, Seoul
ES additions, and Osan HS addition.
We are proud of our outstanding
facilities. The schools in DoDDS Pacific are among the most
current and up-to-date facilities in our school system.
The acquisition, maintenance, and repair of facilities is
ongoing and will remain at the forefront of my efforts to
provide the best possible learning and working environments
for all students and staff.
Nancy C. Bresell
Director, DoDDS Pacific
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