Facilities Services

CoSer: 709

Facilities Services maintains a staff of project managers who are responsible for overseeing all facets of the agency's capital construction program. The department also assists Business Services in the public bidding and negotiation process, pre-bid site inspections, pre-award and pre-construction conferences. Responsibilities include:

• Project planning
• Budgeting
• Coordination with architectural, engineering, environmental and construction management consultants
• Construction document review
• Project submission to the NY State Education Department (SED)
• Processing payment requisitions and change order requests.

CoSers: 701, 709

Central Maintenance is responsible for corrective repairs and preventive maintenance at 15 Nassau BOCES schools, administrative and support facilities. The department also performs a variety of in-house renovations and capital construction projects to support agency programs. 

The maintenance staff consists of full-time employees and seasonal laborers, who have the responsibility of ensuring that all staff and students are provided a safe and healthy environment. Services include:

• Carpentry
• Electrical and mechanical installation and repairs
• Heating and cooling repairs
• Locksmith services
• Painting
• Plumbing installation and repairs
• Snow removal

CoSers: 701, 709

Facilities Services utilizes the latest computer-aided drafting technology to provide scanning, reproduction and color plotting. The department has developed an interactive facility management system, which includes a database of as-built floor plans, site plans, building components, finishes and program square footages for all Nassau BOCES locations. Additionally, the department maintains fire evacuation plans identifying escape routes and emergency equipment, which are posted throughout all buildings. Services include:

• Digitizing existing blueprints
• Document archiving
• Furniture layouts
• Preparation of construction documents for in-house renovations and capital construction projects

CoSers: 702, 709

The Department of Facilities Services provides a number of contracted maintenance and consulting services that are managed by our administrative staff. These contracts, combined with the diverse expertise of our in-house staff, afford the department the resources to provide wide-ranging and comprehensive facilities management services for the agency and the school districts of Nassau County. Maintenance service contracts include:

Contracted snow removal and program moving services are also provided to support in-house operations on an as needed basis. Contracted consulting services include:

• Asbestos and lead abatement
• Carpet installation and repairs
• Carting and rubbish removal
• Elevator maintenance
• Exterminating and pest management control
• Fencing installation and repairs
• Fire and intrusion alarm maintenance
• Paving, seal coating, striping and parking lot sweeping
• Playground repairs
• Roofing maintenance
• Sanitary sewer and storm drainage maintenance
• Signage installation
• Uniform rental
• Architectural and engineering design
• AHERA inspections
• Environmental and RESCUE compliance
• Construction management

CoSers: 701, 709

Custodial Services is responsible for sustaining a safe, clean and sanitary environment for staff and students at all Nassau BOCES schools, administrative and support facilities. Day and evening shift coverage is provided at all locations. The department is also responsible for planning building and internal program moves, implementing the agency's recycling plan and assisting in snow removal operations. The department utilizes certified, environmentally sensitive, cleaning products and is proactive in the testing of new green products and materials as they become available. The custodial staff cleans over 1.1 million square feet of classrooms, offices, conference rooms, bathrooms and hallways each day.

CoSers: 701, 709

The grounds crew is responsible for the groundskeeping and maintenance for all properties across the agency. A variety of year-round services ranging from general grounds care to snow removal are also provided. Services include lawn maintenance, landscaping, tree pruning, and removal and maintaining planting areas and shrubs. The crew also assists in internal program moves and recycling operations. The staff consists of full-time employees and seasonal laborers, who, working behind the scenes, are fully committed to keeping all properties safe, attractive and well groomed.

CoSer: 701

The Health and Safety office is responsible for ensuring safe and healthful schools and workplaces for students, staff and visitors throughout Nassau BOCES. They develop and manage programs and procedures designed to eliminate hazards, reduce accidents and workplace injuries, assure regulatory compliance and respond to emergencies. Services include:

• Safety Hotline: Responds to employee safety and health concerns. Before calling the hotline, staff should report any hazardous condition spotted to their principal or building administrator who will alert the custodial staff. A reasonable amount of time should be given for the situation to be remediated. If the issue is not resolved, staff should call the safety hotline at 516-396-2400. All calls are kept confidential upon request, but anonymous phone calls will not be addressed.
• Safety Committee: The committee gives an opportunity for all levels of the organization to have their safety concerns addressed. The committee discusses ways and comes up with recommendations to promote safety and health, in order to reduce accidents and improve safety awareness throughout Nassau BOCES.
• Emergency planning, training, and response at the building and agency-wide level
• Oversee the District-wide School Safety Team under Project SAVE
• Fire prevention and safety and fire inspections
• Workers' compensation insurance program oversight
• Training and awareness in safe work practices and accident prevention, including safety tips sheets available on the Nassau BOCES website
• Regulatory compliance, inspections and information resource in the areas of safety (OSHA, PESH, EPA, DEC, DOL), health (CDC, DOH) and insurance (NYSIF and NYSIR)
• Indoor air quality and environmental investigations
• Illness prevention and infection control
• Automatic external defibrillator program management
• Blood drive coordination

CoSer: 701

Facilities Services oversees the use of Nassau BOCES facilities for community functions. While the Nassau BOCES school buildings and grounds are maintained primarily for the purpose of educating students within the district, the agency recognizes that these facilities are a valuable community resource. The buildings are available to the community for specific non-school related uses for a fee to compensate the agency for expenses such as custodial costs, security, supplies, equipment rental, etc. Additionally, each group or individual using a Nassau BOCES facility must provide proof of adequate insurance coverage.

Application for Public Use of Nassau BOCES Facilities

CoSers: 701, 709

As outlined in the New York State Education Commissioner's Rebuilding Schools to Uphold Education (RESCUE) regulations, The New York State Education Department requires school districts to conduct a Building Condition Survey for each of their buildings every five years. The survey must be updated annually through visual inspections.

Additionally, an Executive Summary, Facility Report Card and a Five-year Capital Improvement Plan must be adopted each year by the Board of Education. The goal of the five-year plan is to analyze building program needs on a district-wide basis and prioritize projects with a focus on resolving health and safety issues.

Facilities Services performs these services annually with an extensive team of in-house staff, along with the assistance of an architectural consulting firm. The department also has developed a comprehensive consulting contract to provide RESCUE compliance services that is utilized by many school districts in Nassau County.

CoSers: 701, 709

The Security office is responsible for ensuring that a safe and secure atmosphere is provided for staff members, students and visitors at all Nassau BOCES locations. The office employs the use of intrusion detection, camera surveillance and card-access systems. Additionally, a security force comprised of both internal and contracted personnel is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Security personnel work with building principals and administrative staff to investigate and resolve security issues and play an integral role on the Nassau BOCES School Safety Committee.

CoSers: 701, 709

The Facilities Services warehouse provides the agency with a centralized location for the delivery of custodial and maintenance supplies and equipment. The warehousing staff is responsible for electronic inventory control and the distribution of supplies to all Nassau BOCES schools and administrative facilities across Nassau County. They also assist in snow removal and internal program moves. The warehouse staff is committed to achieving optimal operational efficiency in their daily practices and procedures.