Jan. 17, 2023
Funding to improve Bethel High School’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system passed in last week’s referendum in a 555-143 vote.
Cathy Zuraw / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo
BETHEL — The funding to improve Bethel High School’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was approved in last week’s referendum in a vote of 555-143.
The $4.18 million appropriation will come from bonding, bond anticipatory notes, temporary borrowing and/or other appropriations, with available grants or reimbursements obtained by the town used to reduce the cost of the project.
Bethel voters cast ballots in the referendum last Thursday.
About $1.5 million has already been allocated to the HVAC project, and the school district is seeking more funding through a state grant program aimed at improving indoor air quality in Connecticut public schools by encouraging districts to install, replace or upgrade heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems.
The Board of Selectmen recommended that at least $1.7 million of the project be funded by the state grant.
The high school’s HVAC system — which was not updated when the school was renovated from 2007 to 2009 — has posed problems for several years.
School officials say there are different HVAC-related problems in the high school building. Some sections, for example, lack air conditioning while some areas that do have air conditioning have air quality and noise issues.
A 2020 study of the school’s HVAC system identified the administrative offices, media center and adjoining classrooms as priority areas for improvements.
Kendra Baker is a reporter with the News-Times who previously worked as a general assignment reporter for The Wilton Bulletin. Before The Bulletin, Kendra freelanced for The Redding Pilot and interned for the New Haven Independent. She graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in psychology. Her work has also been published on ConnecticutHistory.org.
