by The Launch Pad (Palmdale School District)

More than $6 million in improvements to Palmdale School District campuses will take place in 2008 thanks to a combination of grants and differed maintenance accoutns, reveals Al Tsai, director of facilities and maintenance.  "Fifteen trades are taking part in the largest remodeling the District has done in over a decade," he adds.

The money is being spent for a combination of projects including re-carpeting, re-roofing, heating and air conditioning.  The district will complete repairs of damage caused by freezing in 2007.  New lockers were just installed in the gym at Cactus to replace the original lockers from 1991.  Renovation of sewers, drainage, irrigation and landscaping on all campuses will continue.  Playgrounds and parking lots will be repaved and restriped.  Classroom ramps will be replaced.

The majority of the funds are a result of the Williams Settlement and the California Emergency Repair Program (CERP).  The district hired engineering consultant Lundgren Management to do the inspections and to help the district apply for grants through the California State Office of Public Construction.  The state will also reimburse the district for $4 million of work completed in the past two years.  A third opportunity for emergency repair grants will be based upon conditions in 2009.

Thirteen of the District's schools are more than 20 years old.  The state requires districts to save a percent of their general funds for deferred maintenance.  Realizing the age of many of the schools, Palmdale has grown the deferred maintenance budget to 3 percent.  The deferred maintenance account can only be spent for capital improvements.