Maintenance and Security Improvements

Maintenance Improvements

In 2015, every Ferndale School District building was inspected and given an Information and Condition of Schools (ICOS) score, which provided an assessment of each building’s physical condition. Building age is one of the many factors that go into determining an ICOS score. Any score below 62 is considered poor.

Below are the active district school buildings that were rated “Poor.”

School Building	ICOS Score
Ferndale High School Vocational Building	41.65
Ferndale High School 600 Wing – Old Main	42.95
Ferndale High School 400 Wing	44.06
Custer Elementary School	44.83
Ferndale High School Gymnasium	48.03
Ferndale High School 500 Wing	48.16
Ferndale High School Auto Shop	49.42
Beach Elementary – Lummi Island	51.40
Windward High School/North Bellingham	54.31
Vista Middle School	56.31

Starting with these ICOS scores, the Bond Task Force worked with School District Staff to determine which school repairs and equipment upgrades had the highest priority. Some repair needs were obvious, such as water leaks, while other needs, such as upgrading/modernizing equipment, will reduce annual maintenance costs and save money in the long run.

During these discussions, it became obvious to the Bond Task Force that renovating the old buildings of the current high school campus would not be an efficient use of taxpayer funds. As every building on the high school campus requires extensive repairs and equipment upgrades, the Bond Task Force also determined that removing the majority of the high school campus from the maintenance list would also enable the school district to better address the needs of our elementary and middle schools.

To address the most critical, Priority 1, maintenance needs, the Bond Task Force added $4 million to the bond proposal. Below is the list of Priority 1 repairs and equipment upgrades, as of March 2018. If more urgent maintenance needs don’t arise, this is the likely list of projects that will be completed after the bond is approved.

Conversion to Digital Data Control system and upgrades to HVAC field controls and other mechanical systems at Central, Custer, Eagleridge, and Vista	$1,200,000
Repair Brick Facade at Custer	$800,000
Repair Leaks and Reseal Masonry at Skyline	$600,000
Replace Heat Valves at Vista	$300,000
Conversion to Digital Data Control system and upgrades to field controllers at Skyline	$300,000
Vista Roof Repairs	$200,000
Custer Roof Repairs	$150,000
Central Roof Repairs	$150,000
Upgrade Global HVAC Controls at Central, Eagleridge, Cascadia, Horizon, and District Admininstration Building	$100,000
Replace 18 Hot Water Tanks (15 years or older)	$100,000
Upgrade Fire Panels at Eagleridge, Central, and Horizon	$60,000

Security and Safety Improvements

Additionally, if voters approve this bond request, numerous Security and Safety Improvements are also planned for every school district building. A list of the proposed upgrades can be found by clicking here.

Want to Learn More About the Bond Task Force process? Click here.