School board interviews facility assessment companies

The Wilson County Board of Education heard Monday from firms competing for a contract help the district gauge the condition of its buildings and plan for future needs.

Six firms presented their qualifications to conduct facility condition assessment and deferred maintenance planning services for the district. The ISES Corp. and Axias of Georgia, Roth IAMS of Florida, Dewberry Engineers and Moseley Architects of Raleigh and Bureau Veritas of Maryland were invited to deliver presentations during Monday’s special called meeting.

The board anticipates deciding which firm will be hired at next week’s regular board meeting. The district is seeking a firm that would assess its facilities, including 23 schools and five administration buildings, which account for a little more than 2 million square feet combined.

The facility assessment wouldn’t include the Wilson Academy of Applied Technology, Frederick Douglass Elementary School or the former Winstead Elementary School building. The old Frederick Douglass Elementary School has recently been demolished to make way for a new school.

“The data and reports that are provided by these companies are created for the purposes of capital planning and prioritizing,” said Ben Williams, the district’s assistant superintendent of administrative services. “The selected company will assist the district in future capital planning by providing data from industry experts to inform the board on how to prioritize capital needs.”

Williams said the company will review the district’s asset tagging for capital items such as mechanical equipment and chillers.

He said the facility assessment company will also assist the district in accurately preparing the five-year facility needs assessment that must be submitted to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction every five years. The district’s next submission to the state is in 2025.

“Utilizing a facility assessment company will make this process more effective by providing facility data collected and assessed by industry professionals in the field of facility assessment,” he said.

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