HVAC replacements looked at for Susquenita schools

Susquenita School Board is considering replacing HVAC systems that are nearing the end of their projected life spans in several of its buildings.

During a special Oct. 20 meeting, the board heard presentations from Michael Rader, a vice president of Barton Education Consulting Engineers, and Brad Remig, managing director of Public Financial Management Inc.

Bardton Education conducted a full review of the district's systems concluding that the HVAC systems at both the elementary and high school, both installed in 2000, were near the end of their useful life, and starting to break down, Rader said.

Brad Howard, director of buildings and grounds reported that the district has 17 heat pumps in the high school and 11 in the elementary that are out of service or not functioning properly. Parts are hard to come by, and often connections need to be reworked to accommodate replacement units, Howard said. He also noted several rooftop units are out of commission.

Board member Robert Finnen agreed that the units are at the end of their expected life, especially when factoring the system was put under a great deal of stress several years ago due to a power surge.

The estimated cost for replacement of the 121 geothermal heat pumps and 12 rooftop energy recovery units at the elementary school is $2-$2.2 million.

The estimated cost for the high school was higher, $2.5-$2.75 million, because that building has 158 heat pumps and 16 rooftop units.

In addition, Rader also recommended replacing the electric boiler at the middle school with a high efficiency propane one for roughly $100,000.

Rader also recommended upgrades at the administration building totaling between $325,000 and $357,500, and at the alternative education and facilities building ranging from $180,000 to $198,000.

Rader said both major projects could be done over the same summer or they could be done separately. The board needs to decide how to proceed at their Nov. 11 meeting in order to have the work completed in 2015, he said.

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HVAC replacements looked at for Susquenita schools