24  |  SCHOOL PLANT MANAGER MAGAZINE  |  SUMMER 2026
A
ll facilities have needs that go 
beyond the norm. At times you 
may need someone outside to 
give you ideas to tackle tough 
problems.
When you’re faced with a project 
that requires expertise that isn’t easily 
labelled or categorized, to whom do you 
turn? Experienced facilities managers 
ask their regular, established vendors for 
assistance at these times. Who better to 
already know your circumstances, your 
facilities, and your needs than those who 
already perform regular work within your 
buildings? You would just need to ask 
what capabilities they have outside their 
regular bucket of skills.
Perhaps you need the exposed 
ductwork and beams in an elevated space 
(gymnasiums or auditoriums first come 
to mind) cleaned, but your staff doesn’t 
have the equipment or the certifications 
to use scissor lifts or booms nor are some 
inclined to work in high spaces. Or your 
roofing company plans to tear off the roof 
to replace it, but they’ve forewarned you 
that debris can fall into the interior spaces 
onto computer equipment or kitchen 
areas that will be in use at that time. 
What if your concessions and outdoor 
concrete facilities need pressure washing 
and thorough clean-up? How would you 
Specialty Summer Projects
Accomplish More with Relationships You Already Have
By Michael Asleson, First Onsite Property Restoration
deal with all the contents inside your 
buildings when it’s time to get to work?
The following are just some types of 
specialty projects we’ve seen school districts 
tackle with our help. It is by no means an 
exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of 
the types of projects for which you can find 
help from your current vendors:
Overhead Cleaning is a specialty 
service provided by some property 
restoration contractors who can bring 
in the required lifts and skilled workers 
to perform the work while making sure 
your building structure is protected. Not 
all flooring would require protection 
from heavy lifts, but it behooves you to 
walk the site beforehand and include 
any protection measures required in the 
scope of work. Unlike standard janitorial 
services, they can best estimate the time 
and materials required to do the job.
Temporary Interior Protection 
is a form of containment that works 
horizontally instead of vertically around 
a workspace, protecting areas under it 
from contamination or even heavier 
debris when work above it is being 
performed. Specialized materials used for 
this include durable, fire-resistant, and 
puncture-resistant components designed 
to improve safety, and code compliance 
during construction or maintenance 
activities in occupied facilities. They can 
then remove the containment at the end 
and perform a thorough final cleaning. 
If you have an unusual space that 
needs protection, contact your trusted 
mitigation partner. They can bring in 
the proper equipment and materials, and 
they can schedule the work around you. 
Containment protects areas within 
a building near ongoing construction, 
to help staff and occupants avoid the 
dust, debris and air quality issues that 
plague interior spaces during all phases 
of construction and some types of 
remediation. This containment may be a 
simple poly zipped containment barrier, 
or it might be rigid STARC® walls that 
provide a long-term and more sturdy 
solution. Poly containments typically 
use 6-mil fire-retardant poly sheeting 
using temporary access with zipper or 
poly flap openings. STARC® Systems are 
prefabricated aluminum and fiberglass 
wall panel systems that provide more 
durable, clean and professional barriers in 
more sensitive environments and are more 
commonly used in healthcare facilities, 
schools/universities and corporate offices. 
Both can be placed under negative air 
using HEPA filtration devices.
Biohazard Cleaning encompasses 
much more than just blood or trauma-

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.