Plant Operations

The Plant Operation Section provides engineering analysis and design services as well as engineered drawings to the LEA maintenance departments across the state. The department is staffed with seven engineers, in the areas of structural, civil, electrical, mechanical and environmental engineering. Assistance is provided for facility maintenance, ie. equipment repair/replacement, small renovation projects, building and equipment evaluation, cost estimating, specifications and additional areas of engineering assistance.

The Plant Operation Section also has workshops hosted by the section, around the state each year for LEA maintenance employees. These seminars allow maintenance staff to obtain continuing education credit for building licenses they hold as well as obtaining new licenses and gaining additional knowledge about the building trades and building maintenance.

Mission

Each day North Carolina’s Public School personnel struggle with maintaining an acceptable teaching environment as the state’s school buildings continue to age, student populations grow, and technology changes. Given the current economic conditions, most school districts are faced with maintaining older (but still useful) facilities. LEA’s across the state turn to the Department of Public Instruction’s Plant Operation Section to provide experienced professional engineering for cost-effective solutions to their facility related issues. Plant Operation streamlines facility maintenance by providing technical consulting and professional design solutions uniquely tailored for the public schools. These services are available to all of the schools of North Carolina and are especially invaluable in areas where engineering services are scarce or unaffordable. The technical assistance provided by this section is vital to the majority of counties in North Carolina, when considering more than half of North Carolina’s school districts are identified as low wealth and may be unable to afford private consulting services. The use of Plant Operation results in cost savings in design fees, maintenance/construction costs, utility/operations costs, and protection of current school assets and the learning environment. We are available to give assistance to your LEA and look forward to providing fast, effective, and cost-saving facility engineering services.

North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal

North Carolina Department Environmental Quality

North Carolina Department of Labor

Contact Us:

Section Chief: Kim Lawson at 919-807-3542

Office Admin: Tonia Keyes at 919-807-3541

Engineer Technician: Dustin Church at 919-807-3544

Structural Engineer: Kim Lawson at 919-807-3542

Mechanical Engineers: Philip Perry at 919-807-3550 and Matthew Ward at 919-807-3548