Spring Walk-Through

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clipboardIf you haven’t already taken a spring walk-through, now is a great time while you prepare for summertime programs and events.

Rather than just focusing on the details of a specific maintenance task, a walk-through is a time to step back and look at the entire building, the entire utility system, a specific portion of the forest, etc. You’ll

  • Perform visual inspections (confirm the need for scheduled work, observe deterioration over the winter, verify previous work has solved a problem, etc.)
  • Examine areas for risk management
  • Gather information for future planning and budgeting

Some examples you might look for:

  • Proper water drainage. Are gutters and downspouts clear of pine needles or leaves, and are they fully attached?
  • Insect and bird problems. Have woodpeckers found a new home in the eaves of a building?
  • Roof replacement. If you have scheduled to replace a roof in 2014 (next year), evaluate the current condition. You’ll confirm information for 2014 budgeting, or if there are problems, you can decide if it will need to be replaced this year (2013).
  • Paths and walkways. Have the winter conditions caused unsafe cracks, uplifted or uneven segments, or deterioration in sidewalks and paths? Does vegetation need to be trimmed?
  • Foundations. Are there any new problems in the foundations of buildings?
  • Utility lines. For overhead electrical lines, are there any drooping of lines?
  • Beetle infestation or noxious weeds. What do you need to monitor for growth or reduction for long-term analysis?

Who should perform the walk-through? A qualified property person. Also during the walk-through, it is very useful for the administrator to join the property person to understand and see the issues firsthand.

There are four walk-through forms in the book that you can adapt for your property.

  • Facilities
  • Grounds
  • Natural Resources and Land
  • Utilities

Please see right hand column for book information.

Adapted with permission. Page 68, Outdoor Site and Facility Management by Wynne Whyman. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

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