Letter re Schools — File 211338

On 2021-02-15 11:03, Beatriz Gomez wrote: > >> Dear Mayor and City Council, >> >> As the entities who oversee the budgets of our school buildings, I ask >> that you carefully review the letter below carefully. >> >> 300+ days and counting, since Somerville schools shut-down I am forced >> to ask is education a priority in Somerville? The oversight/management >> and planning of our school buildings in the past decade and half >> perhaps tells the story of why Education is not a priority for the >> current Administration. This is of concern because: >> >> · _Schools are capital assets paid for by tax dollars_ >> >> If a school building is not properly maintained, the city is letting >> investments paid with city and state tax dollars deteriorate. >> >> · _Schools that do not perform efficiently negatively impact the >> environment_ >> >> Buildings that are not properly managed do not perform efficiently and >> negatively impact the environment. >> >> · _Schools’ building performance impacts (Indoor air quality, >> ventilation, lighting etc.) the health and academic performance of its >> students _ By the time a student graduates’ high school, they will have spent more than 15,000 hours in school, which is the 2nd longest exposure time after their home. Research has shown that building performance >> can impact student performance and well-being. >> >> · _School Building Life Safety is in jeopardy! (See image below >> of Brown School Fire Alarm Annunciator)_ >> >> Below is a summary of Somerville Infrastructure in the past 17 Years >> of this Administration that shows school building mismanagement or >> lack of prioritization. I believe this indicates the urgent need for a >> change in Somerville’s School Building Management structure >> particularly as the City plans its FY 22 Budget. >> >> NO STAFF DEDICATED FULL-TIME TO SCHOOL FACILITIES >> >> Somerville has no staff/department dedicated to school facilities. >> Currently Somerville Schools with 5,000 students are under the >> umbrella of the Capital Projects Department with a current staff of 4

>> including its director and the Department of Public Works. The $256 >> Million High School renovation is overseen by the Director of >> Infrastructure and Asset Management who is also in charge of millions >> of infrastructure improvements. >> >> The City of Cambridge with 7,000 students has a staff of 78 dedicated >> to School Facilities this includes Custodians, Carpenters, >> Electricians, HVAC Tech, Fire Alarm Electrician and a Net Zero Project >> Manager. Or compare the Arlington High School Project with the >> Somerville High School Project Website: The SHS project site has an >> error page and the AHS is a detailed website where you can access all >> types of information – which indicates that Somerville does not even >> have the bandwidth to have transparent records of its largest school >> capital project at the cost of $256 Million. (Please take the time to >> read project meeting notes. There are careful discussions on how each >> $ is spent. And note the error page in SHS was repaired after months >> of being off-line and you cannot find Building Committee Meeting >> Minutes or even know who is in the Building Committee!) >> >> AHSPROJECT.ORG [1] [1 [1]] Website >> >> SHSPROJECT.ORG [2] [2 [2]] Website (In November 2020) >> >> More recent events discovered during COVID have shown that the City >> had no oversight over Honeywell with whom they signed a $7.8 Million >> Dollar Contract in 2010. This Contract included an energy retrofit >> program that was “_expected to cut more than $450,000 in annual >> energy and operating costs.”_ The City intended to use the energy >> savings, which were guaranteed by Honeywell, to pay for the >> improvements. Apparently, the city was not tracking those energy >> savings these past 10 years, or they would have been made aware that >> Honeywell was not properly maintaining its school building systems. >> >> ATHLETICS VS. SCHOOLS >> >> 1. Somerville has 2 Hockey Rinks one completed in 2011 under >> the >> current administration. >> >> a. City of Cambridge – 1 Ice Skating Rink (Simoni) >> >> b. City of Arlington – 1 Ice Skating Rink/Arena >> >> 2. Somerville has had a Master Plan for its Athletic Fields >> since 2016 and has successfully implemented several projects in his >> Master Plan

>> >> 3. Somerville removed field maintenance from DPW and created a >> Fields Maintenance Department. It has a dedicated team for this work >> via the Rec Department with a specialist on “grass fields” at a >> budget cost of $250,000 per public records. This includes: >> >> a. 1 Operations Director >> >> b. 1 Field Recreation Foreman >> >> c. 2 Recreation Fields Laborers >> >> Schools to my knowledge do not have such a structured maintenance >> department. >> >> SCHOOLS – Management/Building Oversight History >> >> 1. 1995 – 2007: 5 Schools Built (1995 West, 1999 Kennedy and >> Healy, 2003 Capuano, 2007 Argenziano 2007.) All initiated or >> completed >> under previous administrations. >> >> 2. Somerville has no master plan for improvement of its school >> buildings and no plans for the growth of its student enrollment per >> public records. >> >> 3. 2007-2020 New Construction: (1 Completed and 1 Under >> Construction) >> >> · 2012 - East Somerville School rebuilt after a 2007 fire >> forced its reconstruction. Was the fire the result of building >> mismanagement? >> >> · 2018 - High School construction started after its loss of >> accreditation and at the time the building was in such poor shape it >> was a life safety hazard. Planning started in 2012. Nine years after >> the current administration had been in office. >> >> 4. 2016 Somerville sold the Powder House School and it is now >> converted to Condos. This could have been vital for relocation of >> other schools d during renovation if a master plan had been in >> place. >> >> 5. Somerville has a school that is 120 years old. Brown School >> and has not seen a full renovation in 120 Years. >>

>> a. Prior to 2015: >> >> i. >> >> Multiples visible Cracks on Kidder Side of Building Monitored by >> Crack >> Gages. Not clear if the cracks increased in size or if have ever >> been >> actively monitored and evaluated for building safety. City's plan >> for >> repairs or assessment not identified for this item. To date NO >> ACTION. >> >> ii. >> >> Electrical system would trip if microwave was turned on in teachers >> lounge. >> >> b. 2015 Roof Collapsed – No further action for renovation or >> improvement study since this event which will celebrate its 6-year >> anniversary on March 3, 2021. >> >> c. 2018 Flood shutdown 2 Classrooms – No further action for >> renovation or improvement study since this event. At the time DPW >> Director noted not to worry there are “worst buildings out >> there.” >> School was not included in a 2019 building assessment study by City >> despite commitments in 2018 after flood to have a building >> assessment >> completed. >> >> d. 2020 >> >> i. >> >> City is unsure if this school will ever open again - 12 Classrooms >> and >> 250 Students with nowhere to go? >> >> ii. >> >> City consistently excludes the Brown School in its re-opening plan >> presentations >> >> iii. >> City has delayed any repairs or action under the premise that any

>> work >> would trigger compliance with ADA – disregarding equity and civil >> right violation concerns >> >> iv. >> City ignores life safety concerns this school could present with no >> sprinkler system in the 1st and 2nd Floor (only fire extinguishers >> as >> first line of defense on those floors) and no life safety systems >> that >> meet current NFPA standards (National Fire Protection Association). >> Building is a mixture of brick and wood. If it went on fire it would >> go up in flames quickly and will fill out with smoke, putting >> students >> and teachers lives at risk >> >> 6. Winter Hill, >> >> a. 1975 building has not had any significant improvements in >> the >> past decade other than window replacement and exterior >> landscape/park >> work. >> >> b. 2021 City announced that the school cannot open this year >> as >> more extensive repairs were found than where projected in the HVAC >> improvement plan for COVID Readiness. >> >> 7. Deficiencies Found Through HVAC Improvements for COVID & >> Mechanical System Maintenance >> >> a. Through HVAC study it was noted that some systems in the >> schools have not been touched for a decade. (I assume since >> Honeywell >> first did work on these systems in 2010?) >> >> b. Argenziano one of the newest buildings, which was completed >> 13 years, ago already has fans that are not functioning properly. >> Mechanical systems can have a life span of 15-25 years and City >> should >> have had a mechanical systems improvement in place to avoid such >> failure. >> >> c. Honeywell >>

>> Through HVAC repairs it appears that Honeywell has not fulfilled >> their >> contract for system management issued in 2010. >> >> http://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/9151 >> >> > https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/honeywell-helps-city-of-somerville-reduce-energy- costs-and-meet-environmental-goals-106101358.html >> >> In the next few months the Somerville High School first phase will >> hopefully open. Its citizens voted to raise their taxes to help fund >> the construction of this school and trusted the city to manage >> millions of tax dollars in one single asset. Who will oversee the >> management of this multi-million-dollar tax investment once it >> opens? >> The future of the Brown School is unclear six years after its roof >> collapse. The Winter Hill school is closed until further notice. >> Based >> on such events it is concerning there is no dedicated department >> with >> pertinent professionals (Electricians, HVAC Tech, Fire Alarm >> Electrician and a Net Zero Project Manager etc.) to oversee >> Somerville’s School Facilities. We have learned through COVID that >> the structure that is in place is NOT working and our school >> buildings >> are failing to the point that 2 are currently shut down through the >> end of the year. As more and more deficiencies are found in our >> school >> buildings, some buildings that are barely 10 years old, the future >> of >> the opening of our schools is in jeopardy and students are being >> denied an in-person education. The environmental impacts of >> mismanaged >> buildings at a time when there are growing concerns about the future >> of our environment is also reckless. >> >> As a reminder of how neglected our school building are, I would like >> to share with you a photo of the Fire Alarm Annunciator at the Brown >> in 2019. The annunciator indicates a trouble in the basement which >> is >> where both the Kindergarten Classrooms and the boilers which are >> powered by fuel are located. This annunciator showed this troubled >> signal for 3 days with NO response. Luckily to my knowledge there >> were

>> no issues, but this shows the blatant negligence of our school >> building in which a life safety signal is ignored for days! Note >> that >> this is a Honeywell device which leads me to believe there have been >> long standing issues with Honeywell that the City has overlooked due >> to poor management. >> >> Brown School - Fire Alarm Annunciator – April 19, 2019 (Note - >> Honeywell device.) >> >> The City needs to create and fund a department to oversee its school >> buildings. We have such a department for our athletic fields. >> Let’s >> make our school buildings a priority so our children can have a safe >> and healthy place to learn and our teachers have a proper workplace. >> Let’s learn from our past mistakes. >> >> The limited infrastructure for the oversight of our school buildings >> in Somerville also indicates that we should really consider Plan B >> for >> the opening of our schools. We do not have the bandwidth to properly >> manage the scale of the work going on as the schedules that use >> adjectives like pessimistic and optimistic and constantly miss their >> targets indicate – that is a cry for help and not a schedule! >> >> Regards, >> Beatriz Gómez >> >> Somerville, MA 02144 >> >> Links: >> ------ >> [1] http://AHSPROJECT.ORG >> [2] http://SHSPROJECT.ORG