The Trousdale County Board of Education unanimously approved a recommendation to award the contract for installation of a new chiller at the middle school to Bransford Electrical and Mechanical Services. The board recorded the project total as $49,985 and noted the district expects to receive about $32,000 in an energy reimbursement, reducing the estimated local cost to roughly $18,000.

Director of schools Dr. Clint Satterfield recommended accepting the bid so work could proceed ahead of the planned delivery of the chiller in mid-January. “My recommendation is to accept this where we can get this going because the chiller is supposed to be delivered in mid January and we would like for, the installer to be ready to go,” Satterfield said during the meeting.

Board members discussed details of the bid, including a concrete pad and piping connections. The contractor adjusted an itemized line so that the previously open-ended cost for unloading and related labor included a specific amount; the board recorded a finalized project total of $49,985. The board expects to qualify for an energy reimbursement program (referred to in the meeting as TBA energy right reimbursement) that would offset a portion of the cost.

Members noted teacher reports that classroom temperatures had improved with temporary cooling measures. The director said teachers had told him classrooms were “cooler than they have ever been in recent memory.” The board approved the bid by motion, moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mr. Wood; the motion carried unanimously.

The board also noted timeline items: the district prefers to have the concrete pad poured and site prepared before the chiller is delivered so installers can begin work promptly. The vote followed discussion at the earlier work session where the board asked for clearer line-item pricing from bidders.

The district will proceed with contracting and scheduling the installation; the board expects to apply the energy reimbursement when the project is invoiced.