Kershaw facilities chief outlines deferred-maintenance work: HVAC replacements, playground upgrades, gym-floor repairs and more

Billy Smith, Kershaw County School District deferred-maintenance director, gave trustees a detailed account of work completed over the past summer and plans for the near term, saying the projects were funded from capital deferred-maintenance funds distinct from the district general fund.

Smith told trustees the district treats deferred-maintenance dollars as a separate capital “bucket” and that principals submit top project requests which the maintenance office numbers and prioritizes. Smith said the district has at times had little or no deferred-maintenance money and other years as much as $3 million to spread across 18 buildings. He described the selection process as collaborative: principals list projects, maintenance staff estimate costs and the district prioritizes top requests.

Smith listed projects completed or underway: replacement of multiple R-22 Freon HVAC units at several schools (Lugoff-Elgin Middle School, Camden Middle School, Blaney and Lugoff-Elgin High School); purchase of three new activity buses with plans to add more annually; playground surface replacements (including new turf at Jackson’s Schools and other elementary sites); painting and interior graphics in cafeterias and common areas; track resurfacing and asphalt replacement at several schools; replacement or repair of water tanks and pump houses; and a major kitchen serving-line expansion and equipment upgrade at Lugoff-Elgin High School.

Smith described a gym-floor incident at Lugoff-Elgin High School in which a 3-inch hot-water line burst under the gym subfloor and water spread beneath approximately one-third of the maple playing surface. He credited school staff and maintenance for discovering the leak quickly; the district contracted moisture-removal services, patched a section of floor by locating a specialist supplier and later arranged for full replacement paid for by insurance. Smith said thanks to interim repairs the seniors on this year’s volleyball and basketball teams will be able to play on the home court this season and the full floor replacement will occur after the season.

Smith acknowledged limits to what deferred-maintenance funds can cover. He underscored that deferred-maintenance money is capital funding and not general funds for classroom supplies. He also described ongoing HVAC conversion needs, including federal and Environmental Protection Agency-driven phaseouts of older refrigerants; Smith said the district’s technicians have been recovering and storing R-22 refrigerant and that new refrigerants will require equipment replacement in coming years.

Board members thanked the maintenance staff for stretching funds across many schools. Trustees asked for timelines and Smith said large projects would be scheduled “as quick as we can” after graduation windows and athletic seasons, and that contractors had offered to honor current bid pricing if purchase orders are issued promptly. Smith said the district plans to continue prioritizing safety and infrastructure, then instructional impact, then comfort and aesthetics when allocating deferred-maintenance dollars.