BRECKSVILLE, Ohio – Brecksville-Broadview Heights Schools will upgrade heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in high school, middle school, and the county office, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district is paying Gardiner, a Solon HVAC company, no more than $ 2.9 million for the project under a contract approved by the school board on Jan. 27. Of this amount, approximately $ 30,000 will be spent on asbestos removal.
In addition to improving airflow in school buildings – which is believed to be important in controlling the spread of COVID-19 – the new devices will result in an estimated annual savings of $ 38,000 in energy costs, said District Treasurer Craig Yaniglos.
At the same time, the district will replace the roofs on both schools. Under a contract approved by the board in February, the District of Building Technicians Corp. in Madison $ 903,500 for roofing work.
Board member Mark Dosen said it makes sense to do the HVAC and rooftop projects at the same time as HVAC units are typically installed on rooftops. He said tying the two projects together would save the district money.
Both the HVAC and roof replacement projects are scheduled for this summer.
According to Gardiner’s project description and district officials, most of the HVAC work will be done in the middle school, which was built in 1960 and still contains some of the original HVAC equipment as well as equipment that was part of a 1964 building addition.
Equipment is no longer working efficiently and does not provide air conditioning in all middle school classrooms. Around 30 classrooms in the fifth grade and in the science area, in the advisory office and in the cafeteria will be air-conditioned for the first time.
The project includes the replacement of all HVAC control systems and some lines in the middle school. Gardiner will also replace boilers that heat the auditorium. The existing boilers are not working properly and one is leaking.
New HVAC energy management and control systems in middle and high schools automatically adjust the room temperature as needed and monitor the room temperature every 15 minutes. This enables maintenance workers to respond more quickly to problems.
Currently, the district is struggling to regulate room temperatures in the high school.
At the district office, changes are being made to the plumbing to better move the air through each room. The entire air conditioning system is adjusted to improve airflow. All control systems are replaced.
Dosen said the district’s new elementary school, currently under construction at Blossom Hill, Brecksville, will have air conditioning in every room. The new school replaces the elementary schools in Chippewa, Highland and Hilton. The former central elementary school has already closed.
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