Safe, convenient and accessible state office buildings and facilities are necessary for the efficient and effective functioning of government and for providing programs and services. They are also important venues for active civic engagement. These buildings and facilities have important safety and accessibility needs for both workers and visitors. As a result of years of neglect, many state office buildings require structural improvements, as well as repairs to roofs and building envelopes to prevent leaks that lead to further structural damage. Several state office buildings require elevator replacements and other improvements necessary to comply with building codes and American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements. Fire alarms, sprinkler systems, power plants and HVAC systems must also be updated.
The FY11-15 capital investment plan builds on the progress made over the last three years to improve state office buildings and facilities. The following chart reflects expected capital spending over the next five years, as compared to projected fiscal year 2010 spending.
Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy: To meet the aggressive goals established by the Administration in Executive Order #484, the Commonwealth has made a strong commitment to improving energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy at state facilities.
Energy projects funded include conservation measures at Bristol Community College, a geothermal system as part of the new library at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and photovoltaic panels for North Shore Community College, to assist in achieving a zero net energy building project for the college’s new Allied Health building.
$33 million is allocated for continued design and construction activity for the second data center in Springfield, which broke ground this past spring. This mission critical facility will be an active back-up to the current data center in Chelsea and will run concurrently with that facility. The new facility will have higher levels of security and reliability and will enable data center consolidation as outlined in Executive Order #510.
An additional $3 million is budgeted to complete the elevator modernization project in the 21-story McCormack State Office Building.
Over $11 million will be applied to completing the roof improvements and ongoing modernization of the fire alarm system of the State House.
Deferred Maintenance: The continuation of a competitive process managed by DCAM to distribute $32 million to state agencies for small deferred maintenance projects at 63 state-owned facilities in 34 agencies and covering over seven million square feet of property. Most deferred maintenance projects address roof, electrical and mechanical systems repairs.
Funding decisions are made by scoring secretariat requests according to a set of criteria that weighs, among other things, life safety, ability to provide critical client services and meeting new building code requirements.
Agencies prioritize repair needs into the statewide Capital Asset Management Information System (CAMIS).
To ensure that cost and spending estimates are accurate, agencies perform feasibility studies that are reviewed prior to funding the design and implementation of identified requests.
Agencies provide quarterly reports on the status of project implementation to allow for re-distribution of funds if projects are delayed or if an emergency project needs to take precedence.