The School City of East Chicago’s executive director of business, Mrs. Leila Simmons, told the board on Aug. 12 that the district completed and started several summer facilities projects, but still faces equipment failures and commissioning tasks that required immediate attention.

Simmons said a lighting project at Washington began the week of the meeting and should finish within weeks, and that Washington’s recently installed HVAC requires filter changes every 30 days; she said the district has placed those filters on automatic reorder. "This new system requires the filters to be changed every 30 days and within 30 days, they will stop blowing air," Simmons said.

She described several school-specific issues: Lincoln Elementary has one chiller out of service and Univents being replaced; Central High School has 15 air handlers and the district will replace air handlers 1–5 first because the parts-and-fit assessment made partial repairs impractical; Block, Harrison and McKinley generally held up but needed routine upkeep. Simmons said air handler 5 at Central serves the cafeterias and portions of the second and third floors; air handler 1 is large and sits over the gym/pool area and will require cutting an opening in a rear wall to install replacements.

Simmons also said Central’s bathrooms were repaired and finished work on the Z wing and common areas, and that the school’s walk-in freezer requires a construction team to replace built-in elements and will be completed within weeks. She said a temporary chiller was placed at "Carrie Gosh" (name used in the July/August materials) and that a vendor fixed a smoking belt and air-handler issue there.

Board action: The board approved item 6.13, a construction contract to address Washington Elementary’s boiler exhaust and code compliance so the boilers will not overheat and shut down during cold weather. The vote was unanimous.

Why it matters: Simmons and trustees discussed the operational and safety implications of HVAC outages for classrooms, cafeterias and common spaces, and the need for preventive maintenance tied to newer systems. Trustee questions highlighted the need for clearer documentation of project timelines and the district’s multi-year facility plan; Simmons said an external assessment (Rittman) is under way to produce a five- to ten‑year facilities plan covering HVAC, roofs, and other capital needs.

What remains: Simmons said some central projects will go out to bid in September/October (Central air-handlers) and that the Central pool roof—replaced in February 2023—sustained wind damage and a bid for additional work will be brought forward at a future meeting. She said the district has also approved an elevator replacement project near the gym that should start within a month.

Board members and staff requested clearer progress reports and cost breakdowns going forward.