Overview

Founded in 1893, Mercersburg Academy is a private, independent, coed college preparatory boarding school located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. Set on 300 rolling acres in south-central Pennsylvania, the campus is home to approximately 435 students in grades 9-12, including postgraduates. The campus consists of over 40 buildings, with varying uses; from academic, residence, and administrative, to a 65,000-square-foot arts center.

Recently, Mercersburg Academy chose us to complete a facility condition assessment on its buildings, to identify and prioritize projects, costs, and funding levels necessary to keep its buildings in good condition.

Our team assessed 20 buildings throughout the campus. Building mechanical, electrical, & plumbing (MEP) systems and architectural needed the most attention. HVAC accounted for the largest project and expense, with exterior closure, and roofing as second and third highest.

All of the projects identified were classified into one of four priority designations; immediate, high, medium, and low, based on the college’s guidelines and the identified project or systems’ impact on life/safety, critical building operation, and other factors. The majority of projects fell into the medium and high priority designations, which should be implemented within the next 2-7 years. Very few projects were of immediate priority.

Overall the facility condition index, FCI, for the entire campus was rated as “good”. The FCI is an index ratio to express how much deferred maintenance exists relative to the replacement value of the building. However, that rating was an average of all the buildings; some of the buildings were in excellent and good condition, requiring little work, while others were in worse condition, needing more attention and funding.

Now that the assessment is complete, Mercersburg Academy knows what it would need to budget for in a 10 year capital plan to keep its facilities in good condition. If, as in many cases, the budget falls short of the needs, Mercersburg Academy can focus their budget dollars on projects and buildings critical to the campus and Academy’s mission, that are of the highest priority and impact.