High school HVAC repairs completed after variable-frequency-drive failures; contingency funds used

Marshall Public School District facilities staff reported that work to replace and repair variable-frequency drives (VFDs) at Marshall High School is complete and testing is under way. Trisha, the district's facilities lead, told the board that five VFDs failed to restart when the system was powered down and that two drives required full replacement while three were repaired. The replacement and repair costs were not part of the original project scope and were paid from the project's contingency funds, Trisha said. Why it matters: VFDs control air-handler units; failures affected HVAC function during commissioning. Trisha said testing and balancing of the system and a site commissioning agent review are occurring this week to confirm proper operation before staff and students occupy the building. Trisha told the board she located a vendor able to supply the drives quickly, the replacements were installed and the project remains below the contingency threshold. The district said commissioning work and testing and balancing were scheduled for the week of the board meeting. Discussion vs. action: this was a facilities update presented by administration (discussion); no separate board vote on the repairs was taken at the meeting. The superintendent and administration thanked the facilities staff and contractors for managing repairs and keeping the project on schedule. The board was also briefed earlier about middle-school flooding and rapid recovery work; administrators and board members publicly thanked contractors and district maintenance staff who handled that restoration effort.