|
Preventive Maintenance
Q.
I am
a board member of a local homeowners association, and our community association
manager recommends that we develop a preventive maintenance program. My
question, what is a preventive maintenance program, what does it do, and
what's included in the program?
A.
Your Association is fortunate to have a community association manager who
is concerned for the "physical and financial health" of the Association.
Community Associations are a dynamic system of high density multi-unit
buildings based on shared maintenance responsibility as defined by the
Association legal documents. A preventive maintenance
program, sometimes referred
to as a facilities or building maintenance program, is an all encompassing
program dealing with the planning and administration of the association
"physical" complex. The program core is the ability to control the
financial, administrative, and operational aspects of a community association
through adherence to a well conceived preventive maintenance program.
One of the primary duties of the board is to protect, preserve, and enhance
the value of the asset. The asset is the community association facilities,
or the project's physical plant. Examples are the buildings which
house residents, equipment, and recreational facilities, the grounds such
as landscaping and turf areas, sidewalk, curbing, access drives and streets,
and common area lighting, and security and emergency equipment such as
fences and fire alarm system.
As associations age, the
asset deteriorates: roofs require replacement, pools demand replastering,
and access drives must be resurfaced. The board is the primary policy
making body responsible for the maintenance, administration, and financial
well-being of the Association. As such, it must plan for the ongoing
maintenance and replacement of the "physical" plant in order to prevent
large cash outlays all at one time. A preventive maintenance program
is a system of
planning, implementing,
administering, and evaluating the functions of all aspects of the association's
physical plant operation. The intent is to develop a program that
provides a financial, administrative, and operational benefit to the Association,
and obtains the longest possible life from the physical complex.
Organized and efficiently administered programs, contribute to a smooth
running operation of the physical plant. This in turn provides healthy
and aesthetically pleasing
housing for the homeowners.
A proper preventive maintenance
program begins with a needs assessment of the physical plant, an analysis
of the buildings, grounds, and equipment, followed by a needs prioritizing
taking into account cost restraints, physical plant condition, and ability
to coordinate the improvement process. Next, a well planned program
is initiated defining and establishing the objectives to be accomplished,
taking into account the present condition of the physical plant, and future
aspects such as energy costs,
equipment replacement, inflation, and building structure deterioration.
In addition, operational guidelines to follow are developed, the guidelines
are implemented systematically, and then supervised and administered.
Finally, the program requires an ongoing evaluation to determine its effectiveness.
As the Association circumstances change during the years, the program will
require procedure and guideline adjustments.
I hope this brief explanation
answers your questions.
Mr. Fowler is a member
of the Community Associations Institute and the Community Association Manager
with Griswold Real Estate Management.
Back to S.D. Union Tribune Article List
|
