Cheney School District facilities pass state's condition assessments

As far as operational capabilities are concerned, all of the Cheney School District’s educational facilities are meeting requirements of the state’s Information and Condition of Schools (ICOS) inventory of facilities and buildings program. Meeting the assessment of conditions is important as it is a requirement for districts in order to be eligible to receive state matching funds.

“The state requires above 60 percent to get matching funds,” the district’s director of maintenance and operations, Jeff McClure, told the school board at its March 8 meeting.

All eight school district buildings scored well above the 60 percent mark, according to the ICOS report.

The closest to the mark was the high school at 76.21 percent, what the ICOS labeled as “fair” condition.

The building has been expanded and updated several times since original construction in 1966. Three portions of the facility were all assessed in good condition, ranging from 86.4 to 90 percent, while a fourth came in at fair (84.48 percent). The 1995 track storage came in at 85.6 percent (good).

Two additions built in 2000 were good (89-90 percent), while a 2012 segment was assessed at excellent (96.15 percent) and a 2013 segment at good (92 percent). The only part of the building below 80 percent was the 1970 greenhouse, assessed at 62 percent or fair condition.

Both of the district’s middle schools, Cheney and Westwood, were assessed in good condition at 94 percent.

Among the elementary schools, Betz is at almost 90 percent, Salnave at just over 87 percent, Windsor is 86 percent and Sunset in Airway Heights is 84.14 percent, fair.

The district’s newest building, Snowdon Elementary School which opened in 2013, is not surprisingly assessed as being in the best condition at 95.15 percent — excellent.

McClure said ICOS officials came to the district a couple months ago to provide feedback on where school facilities assessments should be, based according to their age. The assessments include not only the condition of the buildings but also grounds, evaluating everything from landscaping elements to sprinkler systems to drainage.

“We try to be as objective as possible,” McClure said.

Overall, the condition of a total of 634,783 square feet of district property was assessed.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].