TD Supports After8toEducate Facility for Unsheltered Youth

Every school day, thousands of Dallas ISD students head out the door thinking about what video game to play and, maybe, their algebra homework.

For an estimated 4,000 of these students, their non-school hours are less certain. Some may have after-school activities until early evening, or, if they’re near an after-school facility, these children will spend the evening with a good meal, instruction, and supervised playtime. Once the clock strikes 8 p.m., these youth are out of reliable options. Maybe their mom will be off work tonight and they can sleep in her car. Or maybe they can get to the park early and claim that flat spot filled with leaves behind the bushes. Others may get lucky and find an abandoned building or an unlocked motel room.

"For these students, the school is their safe place," said Billy Lane, executive director and site manager for After8toEducate. "They go to class from 8:30 to 4. If they’re in extracurricular activities, they can be at school until 7. But after 8, they’re out of options."

 

For more than 50 years, the school was a fixture in the Fair Park area of Dallas. Almost 15 years ago, new population maps and school coverage areas forced Dallas ISD to close the school. For a time, Dallas ISD used the facility as an administrative facility, but the district shuttered its windows in 2013.

Dallas ISD turned the building over to After8toEducate in 2018. TDIndustries (TD), a mechanical construction and facilities maintenance company based in Dallas, heard about After8toEducate’s plan. In late 2018, TD’s North Texas President Mike Kotubey met with Executive Director Hillary Evans to understand goals and to gain a better understanding of the project. Kotubey then toured the after-hours section of the building, and realized the importance of this project.

Kotubey, along with Superintendent Shaun Price, inspected the building. Most of the HVAC equipment was in disrepair: cracked rusted pipes sat on the roof, mold had colonized the rooftop ductwork, interior piping had deteriorated, and signs of asbestos contamination were readily apparent. Those issues would greatly affect the residential section, but not the drop-in center, which is a separate section and not reliant on those systems. For the safety and health of all the students, TD recommended a complete system removal; however, TD identified a few items that could be salvaged and sold to offset any costs.

After the inspection, along with Sutton Eldridge Engineering, TD helped developed a no-cost engineering study to address their HVAC, plumbing, structural and roof needs. The renovation costs outweighed the initial budget, so TD worked to cut After8toEducate’s out-of-pocket costs. TD provided HVAC options, and reached out to other contractors for donations, both monetary and in-kind.

“TD was instrumental in our success. Not only did they provide an inspection and consultation, they provided engineering reports and helped us find other companies willing to help us," Lane said. The coalition had already started its first-half renovation to the after-hours center, but implemented TD’s proposal on the remaining work. Starting in late 2019, TD provided HVAC equipment, ductwork, plumbing services, and packaged rooftop units. To help reduce costs for this group, TD performed all work at cost, provided value additions at no additional cost, and solicited in-kind or monetary donations from industry companies and agreed to a financial cap on the project. If the project exceeds that cap, TD agreed to fund the difference.