2011-01-AU Limited Scope Performance Audit of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Facilities Asset Management

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Chapter 3: OPERATIONS The Department has not formally delineated its maintenance and repair [M&R] functions from its construction functions, or what activities fall within each of these categories, such as routine custodial, routine preventative, and critical preventative M&R activities as opposed to construction activities for facility improvement or rehabilitation. It is critical that these activities be formally defined and delineated so that plans to carry them out can be developed; responsibility for their performance can be assigned; relevant performance measures can be implemented; and communication and information processes for ranking, assigning, tracking, and reporting on activities can be put in place. The Department cannot perform critical periodic or preventative maintenance (such as roof sealing or painting) in a timely manner until it has defined "critical periodic maintenance" and delineated what activities need to be performed at what frequency. For example, there is no formal policy that provides that metal roofs with an estimated 30-year life be painted at regular intervals to maintain or extend their useful lives, or that tennis courts with clay surfaces be resurfaced at regular intervals to maintain or extend their useful lives based on industry standards. There is also no formal policy requiring that resources first be allocated to maintaining existing assets at current service levels, and second to addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance, or vice versa. The Department acknowledges that its inventory of assets is aging and continually deferred maintenance and repair has only exacerbated the deterioration of its recreational facilities. We interviewed the Parks Maintenance Superintendent to obtain background information on the Division's maintenance and repair processes. Information provided by the Division included personnel safety training, and documentation provided by the Division included safety and maintenance checklists (routine or custodial), work order and work report forms, vandalism report forms, and complaint report forms. However, no written policies or instructions for critical periodic maintenance inspections and activities were provided. WORK ORDER SYSTEM NEEDS TO INCLUDE FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURES Department personnel utilize Maintenance Work Requests to request and document non-routine or non-custodial maintenance or repairs. This work order process is initiated when any Parks and Recreation employee discovers or is informed of a maintenance or repair problem, and completes a Maintenance Work Request to report the problem and request corrective action (noting the severity of the problem). The completed Maintenance Work Request is routed to Parks Maintenance Division clerks, who input the information into an Access Database. A copy of the Maintenance Work Request is routed to the Parks Maintenance Superintendent, who then distributes it to the appropriate work unit for corrective action. If the problem is one that the Parks Maintenance Division can correct, the work is scheduled, and when work is completed, information from the Maintenance Work Request is inputted and stored in the Parks Maintenance Division's Access Database. If the Parks Maintenance Division determines that its workmen are unable to complete a work order, a Work Order Denial Justification Form is completed and returned to the Parks Maintenance Superintendent. The Superintendent then closes the work order in the Parks Maintenance Division's Access Database, and routes the Maintenance Work Request and Work Order Denial Justification Form to the Park Planning Division to be addressed through the CIP 16