After a facility assessment survey of the county?s 12 high schools, engineers discovered that Mount Hebron High School is an “average” school, but ranked at the bottom when compared with the rest in several categories.
A summary of “key performance indicators” was recently presented to the Howard County Board of Education by Gilbert Architects Inc. of Owings Mills and Facilities Engineering Associates, the company that conducted the maintenance assessment.
“Mount Hebron did grade out at the lowest level,” said Jeff Ludwig, vice president of Gilbert Architects. “But all the schools, for their ages, are in very good condition.”
Hebron ranked last in three of four assessment tools, including the Council of Educational Facility Planners International Guide for School Facility Appraisal, which measures six indicators at the schools: the site, structural and mechanical components, plant maintainability, school building safety and security, educational adequacy, and environment for education.
It also ranked last in the Educational Program Assessment and System Renovation Index Rating, which both measure deficiencies.
Maintenance that is needed but delayed due to funding shortfalls was estimated at $21.3 million at all the high schools. Of that total, $13.4 million is for Mount Hebron, Atholton, Hammond and Centennial high schools.
Joining Hebron as an average school was Atholton High, which has a notoriously deficient roof and an old mechanical system, said Tom Kierzkowski, the school system?s director of school facilities. Atholton is expected to spend at least $50 million on renovations.
Ranking as “excellent” schools were Marriotts Ridge and Reservoir high schools, said Jim Whittaker, president of Facilities Engineering Associates.
In their assessments of the schools, engineers did not tear down walls but checked buildings for any major cracks that would suggest a major structural problem, Whittaker said.
School system officials stressed the need to keep up with systemic renovations and maintenance to keep the schools in good condition.
