January 29th, 2008
Right Sizing Committee
C/O Williams Elementary School
20691 Williams Highway
Williams, Oregon 97544
Dear Committee Members,
My name is Dennis Hart and I’m a registered Civil Engineer in Oregon and California and the Design and Construction Manager for the City of Medford Public Works Department, Engineering Division. On Jan 23rd, I visited Williams Elementary School to perform an assessment of the basement, roof truss system, and general school facilities. Additionally, I was asked to review the Three Rivers District Facility Maintenance REcommendation for Williams Elementary School written by Crow/Clay & Associates and make comments as needed.My findings are as follows:
1. Basement flooding: I spoke to the person in charge of maintenance at Williams School. Wes Nevotti, and he stated it has been a few years since the water last surcharged from below the foundation onto the basement floor. Since the storm ditch was fixed along the school’s frontage following the 1996-97 floods, water has not entered the basement from the parking lot ground level. Water is solely introduced through the sump pump wells and when the electricity is off or the sump pump(s) can’t handle the volume, water surcharges onto the concrete basement floors. A two prong solution far cheaper than the $103,000 recommendation is to buy a backup portable generator ($300-$700) to run sump pump(s) when the electricity is off and to install higher capacity pumps (approximately $200 each) to handle increased volume. This solution can be performed by maintenance staff thus eliminating $15,000 in Architecture fees associated with Crow/Clay’s recommendation.
2. Parking lot paving: At approximately $7-80/ton for asphalt concrete and using $5,000 each for grading and mobilization, approximately 1 acre (43,560 square feet) can be paved for $72,000. However, the existing gravel surface is in good condition and currently a pervious surface (water will drain through it). Another solution to mitigate dust problems is to use a dust abatement product. For example, Lignin costs approximately $0.65 per square yared place. If only the traffic areas, in lieu of parking stalls, are treated this would cost between $1000-2000 per treatment.
3. Automatic Irrigation system: According to Wes Nevotti, an irrigation system currently exists to irrigate the soccer field. It isn’t as convenient as an automatic system, but it works and doesn’t require an inordinate amount of time to operate. I coordinated with a City of Medford Parks Dept. facility maintenance supervisor and he obtained a few quotes on irrigating a 360 foot by 225 foot (regulation soccer field dimensions) field with an automatic system. Competitive pricing resulted in a $20,000 price tag for almost 2 acres of area. This type of work is labor intensive and volunteers could construct this item for material cost at approximately one-fifth the cost of Crow/Clay’s estimate ($36,000) and save the 15% Architecture fee ($5,400) associated with their recommendation.
4. Bow String Truss Repair: During my site visit, I climbed up to the attic and inspected the truss system. The system was in good condition with no visible damage to structural members. All bolts felt tight and wood members were free of cracks, splits, and deterioration. As a longtime resident of the Williams Valley, I know this roof has experienced numerous snowfall accumulations of 12″-24″ and the system seems unblemished. Maintenance personnel monitor the system each month and haven’t noticed any changes. Personally, I’m troubled by Crow/Clay’s report which seems to be practicing outside their field of expertise (Architecture) with their repair and cost assessment of this item. ORS 671.030 prohibits the practice of architecture from planning, designing, specifying or supervising the alterations or repairs to a building if the structural part of the building is involved.A structural engineer should be employed to diagnose the required repair and/or reinforcement for this item. Scott Pingle, of Kas and Associates, Inc., is a reputable structural engineer who has recently viewed and commented on the condition of the existing bow string trusses at Williams School. Moreover, an engineer familiar with bow string trusses and the Lorna Byrne Gymnasium collapse provided the following commentary:
These are excerpts from two emails received from Charley Greenwood of Greenwood Engineering who is an engineer familiar with the structural design of the Lorna Byrne Middle School gym (and therefore the Williams School gym which, I understand, is identical in design):
“As long as the repair/improvement work at the Williams gym included the installation of corner tension plates and proper hold downs, the building should last for many years-if it is not otherwise compromised. When I inspected the site [of Lorna Byrne Middle School] immediately after the failure, it was my opinion that $100 worth of simple brackets would have prevented the Lorna Byrne collapse.
“Yes, you can quote me as a licensed engineer in this and six other states who walked past the police tape on the morning after the collapse and conducted his own independent investigation of the facts My kids had gone to school there and many friends were in that building a few days before it went down.
“I was provided a set of the original plans to study by the maintenance man who stated that roofing tiles had been falling on the floor for weeks-indicating that the trusses were already under unusual stress conditions. Mr. Hoback, then principal of Lorna Byrne, did everything he could to keep me from conducting my own forensic study“
January 17, 2008 Charlie Greenwood-Greenwood Engineering
5. New Exterior Siding (Entire Complex): Crow/Clay & Associates cite areas where wind driven rain enters the wall then take a colossal leap to installing new siding on the entire complex. Naturally this requires repainting the entire facility. The combined cost is approximately $130,000, not including the Architectural Fee ($19,500). This assessment is based solely on the potential for dry rot.
6. Retrofit Interior and gym lighting: Crow/Clay & Associates recommends replacing all interior and gym lighting with energy efficient fluorescent lighting. Although a popular and noble venture, has anyone calculated the return period for the energy savings? Let’s look at simple math to gauge the results. Let’s say lighting represents 30% of a $1000/month electricity bill and the new lights reduce usage by 50% (Oregon Dept of Energy claim T8 lights use up to 50% less energy than T12 lights). So 50% of the $300/month bill will save $150/month. The result is a $61,000 investment ($53,000 + Architecture fees) will be recovered in approximetely 400 months or 30 years. Other variables, such as bulb replacement costs will reduce the return period, however it is important to understand that it looks like a poor investment unless subsixized through federal or state monies. Outside sources will provide funds to forward energy efficiencies. Why hasn’t Crow/Clay researched this or itemized it within their estimate? The same argument can be extended towards the $21,000 investment in more efficient windows; however, the efficiency percentages are less favorable than the lighting. Lastly, I spoke to staff at Williams School and they currently energize half of the lights within each of the 5 portable classrooms and all of the lights within the 2 standard classrooms. Each modular classroom has 33 housing units each containing 2 bulbs. Staff feels using half of the units provides ample light for the students. Uusing that data, I quickly calculated the number of instant start ballasts and T8 bulbs (4 footers) needed to replace the current lighting demand. The material price was approximately $2600 (95 ballasts and 230 lights). Installation of this item can be generously assumed to be 1 hour per ballast (100 hours total). I’ll assume $50/hour which totals $5000. Grand total is $7600. Crow/Clay’s price estimate for interior lighting is $33,000 not including the 15% Architecture fee ($4,950).Moreover, the current electrical code allows low voltage certified personnel to install the aforementioned ballasts without the high cost of a journeyman electrician. The district may have maintenance personnel with the appropriate certification to perform this work and further reduce installation cost.In summary, I’d say the list of recommendations is not needed, but merely someone’s vision of what is wanted. The scope of work is not refined and costs seemed unchecked. Quick analysis of a few items shows a large reduction in scope and price.
As the Design and Construction Manager with the City of Medford Public Works Department, I’m responsible for millions of dollars of design and construction each year. I consult with the Professional Engineering community to procure Bridge designs, Roundabout designs, and Intersection modifications. The engineering cost as a percentage of the construction price is generally between 5-10%. The numbers fluctuate based on specialty (Bridges) or consultant location (Portland or Medford).The majority of work recommended by Crow/Clay & Associates is not specialized and can be delivered through contract specifications. Other items such as lighting, painting, irrigation, basement drainage, etc, can be procured and managed by maintenance personnel. There seems to be no competitive pricing or solicitations of opinions for the recommended work. Estimated prices and the subsequent 15% fee will naturally remain inflated until a competitive market has been introduced.
If you have questions or comments or need further assistance, please call me at 846-0701.
Sincerely,
Dennis Hart, P.E.

