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Deferred Maintenance | Camden

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Rutgers- Camden


Rutgers-Camden

Rutgers University - Camden Overview The origins of the Rutgers University-Camden (RU-C) date back to the mid-1920's when precursor institutions known as the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey were founded. In 1950, by mutual agreement, the schools merged with Rutgers University. Rutgers, which had at that point been newly designated by state legislature as the State University of New Jersey, gained a desired presence in the southern part of the state as a result. At the time of the merger, the college and law school occupied a total of six buildings in a neighborhood off Cooper Street - including 406 Penn Street, a residence that was built in 1869 and today houses the RU-C Admissions Office. Except for a new library building built in 1957, the physical plant of the college was in 1959 still limited to a collection of 16 converted row homes, with the basement of the local church acting as a combination campus center and snack bar. It was not until the 1960's when state bond issued funding allowed for construction of new, purpose-built academic facilities. During this period, a Campus Center and Science Building were opened, followed by much needed classroom and office space in Armitage Hall as well as an expansion to the original library. Additional facilities that were unveiled in the 1970's included a law school building and a campus center expansion. These buildings which were part of the initial buildout of the RU-C campus are now over five decades old and have reached a critical physical age. The various building systems (HVAC/ Electrical/ Plumbing/ Elevators) need to be upgraded, replaced, overhauled to maintain their usefulness going forward. Building envelopes (roofs/windows/facades) must be maintained to prevent water penetration and to maintain structural integrity. RU-C was initially established as a commuter school, and student residence halls were developed much later. The first RU-C residence hall, known as the Camden Apartments, opened in 1986, followed three years later by the Camden Towers. Both have been in continuous service for over 30 years. A newer apartment high-rise known as 330 Cooper opened in 2013, increasing the number of available on-campus beds to 820. Today, the campus population includes over 6,600 students, and roughly 1,355 faculty and staff. The campus physical plant has grown to over 1.5 million gsf, with 50 buildings spread across 30 acres. The open spaces and pedestrian corridors in the center of campus, where city streets had been vacated and landscaped, provide a pleasant respite from the surrounding urban bustle of the city. While there are recent new buildings built on campus, including notably the Nursing and Science Building, there are also a significant number of older structures in the RU-C inventory of buildings.

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Rutgers-Camden

RU-C has established a committed presence along Cooper Street, a main thoroughfare into this part of Camden, and prominent gateway into the campus. The university owns almost two dozen structures that were built in the 19th and early 20th century which are part of the Cooper Street Historic District and Cooper Grant Historic District. Some of these are also individually listed on the State and National Register of Historic Properties, and all have unique and specific maintenance needs. The university has recently completed successful preservation and reactivation of 312 Cooper Street as the Alumni House and Development Office and 305 Cooper Street as the Writers House but faces challenges in maintaining other Cooper Street properties, some of which are vacant and in need of rehabilitation. Like most other university campuses, deferred maintenance is an area of focus. Lean years and budget reductions have led to significant deferred maintenance needs. 70% of the Rutgers University-Camden facilities exceed 25 years of service. Current replacement value exceeds $1.58 billion with an estimated deferred maintenance liability of over $340 million. Properly maintained campus facilities reflects the pride of the institution. As a world class institution, the university must address basic facility needs in a fiscally responsible manner to continue to attract and retain talented students, faculty, and staff. Capital Renewal Vs Deferred Maintenance Capital Renewal is the upgrading or replacement of major building systems, and supportive infrastructures. Capital Renewal recognizes the debilitating effect of the aging process on facilities, major building systems, and supportive infrastructures. Projects in this category address the physical deterioration aspect of long-term use, the need for overall facility renewal due to functionally inadequate building systems that have exceeded their life expectancy, and the upgrading of supportive infrastructures which are no longer capable of adequately performing their functions. Capital Renewal addresses buildings and infrastructure that, overtime, have exceeded their intended design life, and consequently, their deterioration reduces functionality. Over the years, budget reductions and rise in construction labor and materials has limited the number of capital and deferred maintenance projects. Energy conservation projects are also undertaken to reduce costs and provide a more sustainable campus, and Life-safety and Code Compliance projects are carried out to create a safer environment for our students, faculty, staff and guests. There is currently no dedicated Cost Pool to address capital renewal nor is there allocated funds within the IP&O-Facilities cost pool. Instead annual discussions take place with the Chancellor’s office to determine project priorities and funding needs. The Chancellor provides self-funds, Responsibility Center unit funds or internal bank loans to fund the approved projects.

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Rutgers-Camden

Deferred Maintenance is when, due to lack of funding or time, capital renewal is not performed when it was scheduled or should have been performed. Therefore, capital renewal is put off or delayed into the future. The Deferred Maintenance components include, but are not limited to, electrical, plumbing, HVAC systems, building envelopes, and interior finishes. There is currently no dedicated Cost Pool to address deferred maintenance nor is there allocated funds within the IP&O-Facilities cost pool. Instead annual discussions take place with the Chancellor’s office to determine project priorities and funding needs. The Chancellor provides self-funds, Responsibility Center unit funds or internal bank loans to fund the approved projects. Challenges and Risks New construction, capital renovations and deferred maintenance projects need to be approached strategically. Even if we were to obtain all of the funding needed to resolve the deferred maintenance backlog, the sheer number of projects would massively disrupt the entirety of campus. The university lacks sufficient swing spaces to absorb impact units when executing so many projects at once. These are some of the challenges we face on top of an aging building portfolio and infrastructure.

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Rutgers-Camden

A growing deferred maintenance backlog results in an increased risk of system failure. As systems begin to fail, Facilities must divert resources to reactive maintenance activities. This leaves fewer resources for preventive maintenance, ultimately increasing the amount of deferred maintenance. As a result, we must address maintenance on multiple fronts at once, or risk diluting the impact of our interventions. The graphic below shows the interrelationship between deferred, reactive, and preventive maintenance.

Process to Manage Deferred Maintenance IP&O has developed a process to address the challenges and risks that come with deferred maintenance. Facilities inspects, tracks, and estimates the cost of deferred maintenance on an annual basis through IP&O’s Facilities Condition Analysis program. The purpose of the Facilities Condition Analysis program is to identify, quantify (provide budget estimates), and prioritize deferred maintenance projects and capital renewal projects according to the urgency of need and significance of potential failure.

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Rutgers-Camden

PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA Priority 1: Currently Critical. These are needs and/or projects which significantly impact the use of the building and require immediate action to return a facility to normal operation, stop accelerated deterioration, or correct a cited safety hazard, especially those conditions which potentially impact an entire Campus or pose a significant risk to health and safety. Priority 2: Potentially Critical. These needs and/or projects will become critical within a year if not corrected expeditiously. Situations in this category include intermittent interruptions, rapid deterioration, and potential safety hazards. Priority 3: Necessary, Not Yet Critical. These needs and/or projects include conditions requiring reasonably prompt attention to preclude predictable deterioration or potential downtime and the associated damage or higher costs if deferred further.

Once priorities are assessed by University Facilities, a proposed project list is developed, and a three-year rolling forward list is maintained. The list is shared with the Chancellor’s office and other Chancellor stakeholders such as members from Student Affairs to inform them of the projects and to reach consensus.

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Rutgers-Camden

FACILITIES COMPONENTS ASSESSMENT: ROOFING • Membrane, single ply, built-up, or shingle and slate roofing • Sheet metal flashing • Rigid insulation at roof • Roof hatches • Skylights • Applied membranes at roofs and decks • Roof drains • Beams, girders, trusses, joists and decking • All roof and ceiling framing BUILDING EXTERIORS (HARD) • Prestressed concrete, brick or cinderblock exteriors • Exterior doors and door hardware • Exterior windows, frames, glass and glazing • Caulking and sealant • Brick pointing ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS •Elevators •Cables •Control Systems HVAC - EQUIPMENT / CONTROLS •Exchangers and circulating pumps •Fan coil units •Condensing units •Exhaust and ventilation units •Direct Digital Controls, Energy Management Systems •Temperature controls •Ventilating and air conditioning •Heat exchangers and vacuum pumps Note: HVAC-Equipment and Controls are for the basic functionality of the building. It does not include specific or specialized HVAC equipment and controls for high tech labs, vivarium, medical labs, server rooms, and areas with special needs.

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Rutgers-Camden

HVAC - DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS • Ductwork • Grilles, diffusers • Piping • Insulation • Condensate drain piping • Floor drains Note: HVAC – Distribution Systems are for the basic functionality of the building. It does not include specific or specialized HVAC Distribution Systems for high tech labs, vivarium, medical labs, server rooms, and areas with special needs. ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT • Building transformers, service panels and fuses • Emergency power within the building • Light fixtures and controls power receptacles • Emergency lighting and generators • Motors Note: Electrical Equipment are for the basic functionality of the building. It does not include specific or specialized Electrical Equipment for high tech labs, vivarium, medical labs, server rooms, and areas with special needs. FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS • Fire sprinkler systems • Gas or Halon systems • Fire alarm detection devices, horns, strobes, heat detectors, pull stations • Fire actuated doors Note: Fire Protection Systems are for the basic functionality of the building. It does not include specific or specialized Fire Protection Systems for high tech labs, vivarium, medical labs, server rooms, and areas with special needs. PLUMBING ROUGH-IN • Sanitary sewer waste and vent piping • Domestic and industrial water supply • All building service piping to the building • Backflow preventers Note: Plumbing Rough-in are for the basic functionality of the building. It does not include specific or specialized Plumbing Rough-in for high tech labs, vivarium, medical labs, server rooms, and areas with special needs.

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Rutgers-Camden

UTILITIES INFRASTRUCTURE - EQUIPMENT • Site main switchboards and switchgear • Site transformers • Electric substations • Storm sewer piping and fittings • Storm or sewer lift stations • Site pumps and generators • Local chillers and boilers • Rooftop AC and heating units • Furnaces • Water heaters • High-voltage distribution systems • Underground conduit • Substation switchgear • Natural gas distribution system • Central heating and cooling plant equipment (including boilers, chillers, cooling towers, compressors, and surface condensers) SITE UTILITIES - DISTRIBUTION • Electrical conduit, wire, manholes, pull boxes • Storm, sewer, gas and water lines • Chilled water and steam supply and return piping • Communication systems conduit

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