Category: K12

10 Ways GIS Helps Schools Make Big Decisions

Posted on July 12, 2021

When school district officials are developing a facilities master plan, not only do they have to make crucial decisions about the fate of their district’s properties, but they must also be efficient and accurate. Technology can aid school planners in district planning. Geographical Information Systems (GIS), for example, is a computer mapping system used to analyze and display spatial data. GIS was created to help cartographers and geographers with mapping and surveying methods, but today, many different industries use GIS to make informed decisions, including in K-12 and higher education.

GIS is a powerful decision-making tool that can be used across administration, policy, and instruction in a variety of ways, including:

Mapping campus buildings and infrastructure
Planning for attendance boundary changes
Deciding where and when school openings and closures should occur
Visually displaying the condition of campus facilities
Efficiently developing school bus routes
Creating enrollment projections
Cleaning up student feeder patterns
Equitably assigning students to schools
Demographic analysis and reapportionment
Bond planning

As experienced capital bond program advisors and managers, we completely understand the stress of a major capital building and improvements program, and we’re here to make the process easier and more effective. After all, we assume administering capital bond programs isn’t your day job. You’re in the business of educating children.

HPM’s experts use GIS to develop and implement strategic facility plans for our partners. If your district is embarking on a facilities master plan or capital bond program, Let’s work together on a customized approach.

Planning Services

Co-Ops Learn to Lead Through Summer Seminar

Posted on July 7, 2021

HPM’s Emerging Leaders program provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to explore a career in program management while gaining real world experience. As they work alongside industry experts, these students discover the business fundamentals needed to accelerate their careers. Last week, our co-ops gathered at our Birmingham office for the Emerging Leaders Summer Seminar, a two-day learning-to-lead workshop.

Assistant Project Manager Medora Gaddes oversees HPM’s talent recruiting process and the Emerging Leaders program. As a former co-op herself, Gaddes recognized that student employees are not only interested in their role or assignment, but in the company’s leadership and goals, as well.

“When you go to work anywhere, there is always a learning curve of figuring out what a company does, who runs the company and how they run it, and figuring out how that aligns with you as an individual,” she said. “I want our Emerging Leaders to get ahead of this while they are still in school and completing their internship or co-op rotation with us. This is important as they navigate the big questions of what do I want to do and what type of company do I want to work for when I graduate.”

During the Summer Seminar, attendees gained invaluable insight from members of our leadership team and sharpened their own leadership skills through team activities and goal planning.

“I had a lot of takeaways from the Summer Seminar, but my biggest take away was the art of leadership,” said Ben Smith, an HPM co-op from the University of Alabama. “We were not only taught what it means to be a leader, but how we can be leaders in the workplace and in our everyday lives. This seminar taught us a lot about ourselves and how we can utilize our skills and personalities to lead in a way that puts our team and others ahead of ourselves.”

HPM has offices and projects across the country, so the seminar also provides the co-ops with an opportunity to network with students who might not be assigned to a project in their area.

“I would encourage all co-op students to attend the summer seminar as it is a professional development opportunity that is relevant to our co-op and our academic success,” said UA student Iriana Molusky. “Spending time with other co-ops was a one-time opportunity to meet and learn from each other.”

Gaddes hopes seminar attendees will continue to build on what they learned and use their new leadership skills no matter what career path they choose.

“I think we all can look back on our early leadership growth and identify both people that invested in us and skills that we wish we had developed earlier,” Gaddes said. “I hope that through the seminar, the Emerging Leaders start connecting with like-minded individuals, build relationships with leaders in the industry, and sharpen leadership skills that will kickstart their personal growth.”

Interested in HPM’s co-op and internship program? Learn more on our Emerging Leaders page.

HPM Emerging Leaders

What Does a GIS Analyst Do?

Posted on May 26, 2021

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were first created to help cartographers and geographers with mapping and surveying methods. In the last 20 years, mapping technologies have become increasingly essential in our everyday lives. Many different industries use these systems to make informed decisions, from analyzing accident locations and improving road safety measures to conserving natural resources by assessing human impact on the environment.

A GIS analyst is a person who studies and breaks down the data. They help design databases, create reports with their findings, support projects that benefit from GIS, and integrate GIS into other technology. HPM recently welcomed GIS Analyst Timothy Kelleher to our Planning Services team. His primary focus is on enhancing HPM’s expertise in GIS and incorporating the framework into planning efforts through geographic data analysis, 3D mapping, GPS development, and more. With over a decade of industry experience, Kelleher previously served as a GIS professional for JP Energy, Pinnacle Propane, American Midstream, The World Bank, and SpaceX.

“With so much information at our fingertips, it’s more important than ever to know how to manage big data to uncover useful insights,” said Kelleher. “The goal is to derive information from data. GIS and data science will turn information into insight.”

Kelleher has been with HPM for a few short months but has already begun integrating cutting-edge GIS strategy into several projects. Examples of our recent GIS deliverables include facility utilization and siting decisions for an Alabama school district, web-based facility assessment tools for a school district in Texas, and a park improvement report for a minor league baseball stadium.

“GIS takes really hard questions and provides answers in a simple and easy to understand way,” Kelleher said. “Taking a spreadsheet and leveraging the data behind it has enabled our clients to make smarter business decisions which directly impacts their bottom line.”

At HPM, we use software and advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions for businesses and schools. Our approach is grounded in an information science for gathering, managing, and analyzing your data. Employing techniques from GIS, mathematical modeling, and statistical analysis, our goal is to arrive at the best possible solution to complex decision-making problems.

HPM Planning Services

HPM Talks Webinar: Riding the Waves of Change in Education Facility Planning

Posted on May 15, 2021

School districts across the country face similar issues when it comes to long-term facility planning. On May 27 at 11AM CST, HPM’s Vice President of Planning Services Tracy Richter, Director of Planning Services Gary Rademacher, and GIS Analyst Tim Kelleher discussed the safeguards districts can put in place in order to see a master plan through to success.

Webinar Details:

May 27, 2021 at 11AM CST

View Recording

SPEAKERS

Tracy Richter Vice President, Planning Services at HPM
Tracy Richter is Vice President of Planning Services for HPM and has over 25 years of teaching and planning experience. Richter has worked in 26 states and with hundreds of school districts across the country to create educational standards and long-range facilities plans that assist districts in successful facilities improvement programs.

Gary Rademacher Director of Planning Services at HPM
Gary Rademacher recently joined HPM as the Director of Planning Services after leading school districts in comprehensive planning and design projects as a principal architect for nearly three decades. His areas of expertise include complex additions and renovations, new construction, sporting and special events venues, collaborative learning facilities, maker spaces, and college-career center facilities. Gary has partnered with many school districts that have experienced multiple changes in leadership and funding opportunities but have typically weathered those changes with a consistent facilities plan.

Timothy Kelleher GIS Analyst at HPM
Timothy Kelleher recently joined HPM as GIS Analyst. Timothy will focus primarily on enhancing HPM’s expertise in geographic information systems (GIS), incorporating the framework into planning efforts through geographic data analysis, 3D mapping, GPS development and more. With more than a decade of industry experience, Timothy has previously served as a GIS professional for JP Energy, Pinnacle Propane, American Midstream, The World Bank and SpaceX.

HPM Talks Webinar: The Art and Science of Facilities Master Planning

Posted on February 25, 2021

When a Board of Trustees begins a facilities master plan, the common directive is that the process be “data driven.” But what data should be used to make informed facilities decisions and how should it be combined? Gathering the data is but the first step in a thorough planning process.

In this webinar, Terry Worcester, Round Rock ISD’s Chief Operating Officer, and HPM’s VP of Planning Services Tracy Richter explored the data elements of a comprehensive facilities planning process. They discussed how the approach of using the science of data and the art of data integration will allow your decision makers to move forward in a well-informed and transparent process.

View the Recording

Speakers:

Terry Worcester
Chief Operating Officer, Round Rock Independent
School District

Terry Worcester has more than 30 years of experience in architectural design and currently serves as Round Rock ISD Chief Operating Officer, where he is charged with oversight of construction projects within the $508 million 2018 Bond. Before coming to Round Rock ISD in May 2017, Worcester served in two Arizona school districts, leading and collaborating on several multi-million construction projects and restructuring operations departments for maximum production and efficiency. He worked in the architectural design and construction industry for more than 25 years as a project manager, associate, partner, and director in architectural firms before making the move into education administration.

Tracy Richter
Vice President, Planning Services at HPM

Tracy Richter is Vice President of Planning Services for HPM and has over 25 years of teaching and planning experience. Richter has worked in 26 states and with hundreds of school districts across the country to create educational standards and long-range facilities plans that assist districts in successful facilities improvement programs.

Q&A from Webinar

What is your top recommendation for engaging communities today given a global pandemic and competing priorities faced by school districts?

Transparency in facilities decision making may be more important than ever. Parents, Teachers, and students want to be assured that the building they are walking into is well prepared and conditioned to be a healthy environment. Although there are limitations to in-person meetings, there are very effective virtual platforms that allow for large and small group and individual interaction. Platforms like “Thought Exchange” allow for interactive conversation for stakeholders to rate and respond to suggestions and recommendations for facilities processes and actions. Frequent website updates on school improvement process and actions will be more necessary also. We understand that there is a sense of some virtual weariness, but we must remain diligent in any and all forms of communications to keep in touch with those who use our facilities and keep them informed of ongoing processes intended to keep our school facilities as safe and as healthy as possible.

We are all familiar with the disruption that COVID has presented over the past year. As we come out of the pandemic, what long-term impacts do you foresee for facilities planning in the post-COVID world?

This is the question most pressing in the minds of many in our industry, how will this impact the use and utilization of our school facilities? There is no doubt adjustments will be made in future design, system types, and operational processes within schools, but I think one of the biggest impacts will be how we define capacity and utilization of our facilities. We have talked for several years about alternative approaches to increase capacity and utilization of facilities without ‘bricks and mortar’ solutions and the fact remains that these tools have been out there and utilized by districts all over the country. We obviously have seen that virtual capabilities have been part of the solution this past year, and we also know that this has some drawbacks, but this isn’t the only solution.

– Districts should explore time alternatives to capacity such as year-round schedule approaches that offer several schedule tracks thus reducing the utilization of a facility at any given time by 25%-30%, but maintaining the ability to house as many students over a calendar year.
– Secondary schools (primarily high schools), that offer extended time blocks of learning. Career and Technical schools around the country for years have offered high school students the opportunity to learn in facilities that offer courses over a 12-hour school day, but we are reluctant to keep our high schools open longer than 7-8 hours for classroom instruction. Certainly there are challenges to this such as staffing resources, maintenance and custodial, athletics, and transportation to name a few, but all of these obstacles can be overcome, if we just think differently about the school day.

These are just a couple of ideas around how to think differently about how we use schools and how planning has changed in our current times. I encourage all school communities to have a constructive conversation about the benefits and challenges of the future use of our school facilities and understanding that no one answer is the “right” answer as all communities are unique in who and how they serve.

HPM’s Justin Grant Promoted to Senior Field Coordinator

Posted on January 22, 2021

Whether on the job or on the Jiu-Jitsu mat, Justin Grant is dedicated in every sense of the word. As an HPM Field Coordinator, he manages multiple projects at one time, collaborating with his team members to keep each project on schedule. Justin was promoted to Senior Field Coordinator this month because of his immense dedication to both his projects and his team.

“Justin is dedicated to the successful completion of each project he undertakes,” said Frank Marsac, HPM Vice President of Operations. “He has the ability to manage multiple projects at the same time while making sure each project is getting the appropriate attention it needs. Often this means he is working early, late or both. His attention to detail combined with his calming demeanor creates an atmosphere of cooperation and teamwork on all of his projects.”

Justin joined Hoar Construction in 2004 and moved to HPM in 2011. He has managed multiple projects at the University of Alabama, Homewood City Schools and Round Rock ISD in Round Rock, Texas. Justin was the lead field coordinator on large projects at ADMH Psychiatric Hospital and at Landry’s Post Oak Hotel. He has always been willing to travel anywhere HPM has asked him to go, including Oklahoma City, Houston and, most recently, Round Rock.

“Justin has done a great job of accepting the challenge of leading a team of field project managers on the Round Rock project,” said Mike Pitts, HPM Director of Field Operations. “This is the first time with HPM that Justin has been responsible for other field coordinators. He has done a good job of training his team for their role, as well as in the HPM way. Justin was and still is instrumental in the development and implementation of the Procore field coordinator field reporting module. He is always willing to help in any way he can. Justin is the field coordinator’s go to guy when it comes to Procore.”

Preconstruction Success: C.D. Fulkes Middle School

Posted on December 17, 2020

Over the last nine years, HPM has consistently served the needs of Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) in Round Rock, Texas, through the work of our Audit and Contract Services Group. When the district announced its $500+ million capital bond program in 2018, administrators knew they needed a trusted advisor with the experience and expertise necessary to lead them through such a challenging program. HPM was selected to serve as program manager, and our role with the district includes the three-year management of the planning, design and construction of several large projects, including a new elementary school, a new aquatics practice center, expansion of existing schools and the modernization of two high schools. From preconstruction to closeout, we provide strong advice and tangible cost savings at every step of the way.

As with any K-12 project, finding opportunities to save money is essential. RRISD’s bond program includes the demolition of several buildings to make way for the construction of a new three-story facility for C.D. Fulkes Middle School. Our Preconstruction Services team was brought in during the design-development phase and quickly jumped into analyzing the initial estimate provided by the general contractor, which was over the original budget. With an attention to detail that leaves no stone unturned, they discovered numerous areas to save the owner thousands of dollars through more accurate estimating.

“Essentially from the day we got involved, we were able to work with the GC and architect and brought it down by 8.5 percent,” said Jake Chapman, HPM Preconstruction Manager. “Unless an owner has the background and resources that we have, this is not something they would pick up on.”

Jake and others from the Preconstruction team connected with several subcontractors in Austin whose estimates brought the overall budget down significantly. Armed with our historical cost data and subcontractor outreach information, the GC and HPM were able to successfully reconcile the budget and ultimately bring down the price for the owner.

“There is typically always somewhere you can save money, but when we aren’t there to check it along the way, it might not happen,” Chapman said.

About Preconstruction Services
HPM’s Preconstruction Services set the table for a successful project and make the entire building process easier for the owner. We offer expertise in planning a construction project before the actual construction begins, including feasibility studies, cost analyses, estimating, master scheduling, and design team structure and selection.

Preconstruction Services

At Home in a New Classroom

Posted on November 30, 2020

When Homewood High School teacher Melissa Dameron-Vines heard the news that she would be moving into a brand-new classroom, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. A classroom becomes a sort of home away from home for a teacher, and Dameron-Vines had been in hers for 10 years. Plus, packing up a classroom while planning for the year ahead is a lot of work, and she wondered how different this new space could be. That all changed when she saw her classroom for the first time.

“I actually walked in and just starting crying,” Dameron-Vines said. “It’s beautiful. The clean walls, the beautiful windows. I have not pulled my blinds down one time because it’s so pretty.”

Built in 1972, Homewood High School was expected to reach its full capacity of 1,200 soon, and news of a bond issue, a hastily assembled land use study and the hopes and dreams of many community members spun into grand plans for a new building. However, using a demographic study and a facilities assessment of each school, HPM determined that construction of a new facility exceeded the system’s needs and far outstripped its budget. Instead, we were able to draw up a plan for renovations, expansions and updates to all five schools in the district to anticipate population growth, provide newer and more functional facilities and address the top priorities laid out in community meetings and surveys—while staying within the available budget.

The high school received more than a dozen new classrooms, updated athletics and performing arts wings and interior renovations to modernize the overall facility. Improvements to building automation and access control will save the district maintenance time and money.

For Dameron-Vines, a new classroom means updated technology, more storage along the walls and higher ceilings that make the room feel bigger. She said her favorite feature of the room, the large windows along one wall, seem to keep students engaged rather than distract them from their work, and everyone appreciates the natural light that pours in.

“The room has a good feel and it has truly been a joy to be in here since school started,” Dameron-Vines said. “Especially when things are so strange, it takes a little bit of that away and makes me feel really comfortable and happy.”

HPM’s Tracy Richter on Education Talk Radio

Posted on October 29, 2020

America’s public schools have long been confronted with financial challenges, but the need for proper funding has become even more apparent in the face of a pandemic and an aging infrastructure. HPM’s Vice President of Planning Services Tracy Richter recently joined host Larry Jacobs of Education Talk Radio to discuss the creative solutions he believes are key to solving these issues.

“The federal funding in the last 20 years has been about two percent of infrastructure improvements and that has come from FEMA when the federal government appropriately stood up and said we need to help rebuild,” Richter said. “But I don’t think we need to wait on natural disasters or pandemics to really pay attention to these issues.”

Instead, school districts should be in a constant state of planning, utilizing new program management technologies like Geographic Info Systems and cost-estimating software that strengthens transparency and provides a more accurate funding target.

“Good planning is the first step that must be taken,” Richter said. “When school boards are informed and reach out to their communities and involve them in a transparent way in every step of the data, the communities become informed from a bigger perspective than just ‘hey, we’re growing, our conditions are bad, or we need to consolidate,’ which ends up dominating the conversation instead of a holistic conversation about how one impacts the other.”

A recording of this episode of Education Talk Radio is available below. If you recognize that it’s time to update your facility plan or would like more information on how to do so, let’s work together on a customized approach.

Listen to the Podcast

Making Old Schools New Again for a Growing Student Population

Posted on October 29, 2020

Like many public school districts across the U.S., Homewood City Schools was faced with aging buildings and a growing student population. Administrators and school board members benefitted from a $55-million bond issue obtained through the City of Homewood and added to the monies the school district had in its reserves. However, like most, the needs outweighed the resources, and competing priorities of those needs required a hard look at the data.

“Starting with studies, surveys and assessments and working from the best available data, we identified a bubble moving through the school population and planned accordingly,” Project Manager Jeremiah Owen said. “No stone was left unturned when looking at options to address the needs and desires within the defined budget. We looked at many different options, and ultimately decided that upgrading existing facilities was in the district’s best interest.”

Three aging elementary schools received classroom additions, renovations and upgrades, leaving room for growth as necessary. The middle school, which is just beginning to feel the effects of the bubble, is a newer building that benefitted from space planning and interior renovations to add classrooms.

“The Homewood Board of Education, along with the Homewood City Council, began to envision a new and fresh update to our current educational space—a concept that would make best use of our original spaces while providing expansion and growth potential for the next 50 years,” said Dr. Bill Cleveland, Retired Superintendent of Homewood City Schools. “We hired HPM to work with us—to turn hopes into reality, to optimize an assortment of ideas into an amalgamated strategy. The HPM design team provided leadership and guidance that quickly lined up to our budget and often surpassed our scope of thinking.”
Dr. Bill Cleveland, Retired Superintendent of Homewood City Schools

The 70s-era high school needed the most help, and received more than a dozen new classrooms, updated athletics and performing arts wings and interior renovations to modernize the overall facility. Improvements to building automation and access control increased security and allows for troubleshooting to be performed from any device, which saves maintenance time and money.

Data-Driven Planning to Create a Community’s Dream School

Built in 1972, Homewood High School expected to hit two milestones at the same time: its 50th birthday, and its full capacity of 1,200. News of the bond issue, a hastily assembled land use study and the hopes and dreams of many community members spun into grand plans for a new high school. When HPM first met with Dr. Cleveland, we outlined our extensive process that starts long before plans, grand or otherwise, are made. Our preconstruction team started with a demographic study to assess the community’s needs and a facilities assessment of each school to see what we would be working with.

Working with comprehensive information, HPM’s team determined that construction of a new high school exceeded the system’s needs and far outstripped its budget. Instead, we were able to draw up a plan for renovations, expansions and updates to all five schools in the district to anticipate population growth, provide newer and more functional facilities and address the top priorities laid out in community meetings and surveys—while staying within the available budget.

“We were able to address the needs of the district by putting together a renovation and addition plan for a fraction of the cost of a new build,” Owen said. “This also meant that the high school remained centrally located in the heart of the community.”
Jeremiah Owen, HPM Project Manager

Category: K12

SPEAKERS

Speakers:

Q&A from Webinar

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