Hopkins Public Schools found themselves in need of a long-term strategic facilities plan to address various outstanding needs across the district. Deferred maintenance costs had resulted in increasing energy and operating costs, deteriorating air quality, and greater challenges with attracting students in a competitive open-enrollment market. SitelogIQ’s staff helped Hopkins Public Schools become eligible for the Department of Education’s Alternative Facilities Bonding and Levy Program, which enabled the development of a 10-year master facilities plan to manage operating costs, while minimizing tax increases to district patrons. Next, district facilities needed to be reconfigured in order to create more dynamic learning environments that could accommodate changing demographics, retain current students, and attract new students in a hyper-competitive market. The result has been over $115 million of facility improvement projects in the last ten years. These projects have enabled Hopkins Public Schools to reach the lowest annual operating cost in its peer group of suburban school districts, reduce their operating costs by 22%, and expand the program offerings for the entire district. SitelogIQ worked with district leadership to create a long-term master facility management plan. This document established sustainable and affordable guidelines to help Hopkins Public Schools maintain their facilities, avoid unnecessary maintenance costs, and allow them to focus on reaching their educational goals. The master facility management plan is reviewed, updated, and approved annually by the school board and Minnesota Department of Education. The district applied for, and received, approval from the Minnesota Department of Education to utilize the Alternative Facilities Bonding and Levy program. This program provided crucial funding for the much-needed revitalization of 11 facilities within the district. SitelogIQ also worked with district mechanical and electrical staff to develop and apply standard operating procedures that will help manage day-to-day maintenance. SitelogIQ also assisted with the implementation of a maintenance program for newly installed equipment and systems to ensure efficient integration.
Median Facility Age: 40 years District Square Ft: 1,826,831 No of Facilities: 11
“From the beginning, I was impressed with all of the SitelogIQ staff. Since then, I have come to depend on them for advice and information. They are always eager to help us and I feel they are willing to give us extra attention when we need it. Above all, I trust them implicitly; I consider them to be an extension of my own staff. This has meant a great deal to us at Hopkins School.” – Patrick Poquette, Supervisor of Buildings & Grounds