Tiverton officials report HVAC failures, town council approves $100,000 capital blanket; roof diagnostics ordered at THS

Tiverton — School and facilities officials told the Tiverton School Committee on Jan. 28 that repeated compressor failures and other heating problems at Tiverton High School are linked to improper installation by a prior vendor, and the Town Council approved a $100,000 capital blanket last night to address district heating repairs.

The issue first surfaced as a failing rooftop compressor that serves parts of the high school front area, including the library and guidance suite. ‘‘The prior failed compressor was improperly installed by the previous vendor, causing the unit to fail much well before the expected useful life,’’ said Mr. Andrade, a school facilities representative. He described the malfunction as ‘‘basically trying to run a car without oil’’ — oil was leaving the compressor and not returning — and said electrical and connection-box issues meant ceiling units were not responding to rooftop controls.

Why it matters: the district is in winter and staff said students must be kept warm while diagnostics, parts procurement and warranty work proceed. The Town Council approved a not-to-exceed $100,000 allocation to cover multiple ongoing heating repairs district‑wide and to reimburse earlier emergency spending. Committee members were told that about $20,000 had already been committed at the high school for the most recent repair and that previous emergency work at Fort Barton and other sites had used additional funds.

Tremco roof diagnostics: At the same meeting facilities staff also reported results of a preliminary roofing inspection and recommended a detailed moisture analysis of the high school administration roof. Mr. Andrade said Tremco found significant ponding in several areas and recommended a comprehensive moisture analysis to locate compromised sections and to support warranty claims. He said the roof is less than seven years old but showed ponding areas that may exceed the guidance standard; in some places he said ponding measured multiple square feet.

Cost and procurement: Committee members were told that the Town Council approved the requests presented to it at its Jan. 27 meeting and that the roofing diagnostic work was submitted as an urgent request. The committee did not take a separate vote on the town’s capital approvals because the council had already acted; the chair described such votes as ‘‘a moot point’’ for items already approved by the council.

Warranty and next steps: Facilities staff said the district had contacted LG’s certified representative and that LG engineering and quality-assurance teams had been involved in reviewing installation and failure modes. Mr. Andrade said the district intends to pursue contract remedies with the original installer and continue warranty repair efforts through the LG vendor. For the roof, Tremco’s recommended moisture analysis will be used to scope repairs under warranty and to guide longer-term planning.

Committee procedure and oversight: Committee members asked for the facilities team to convene the building committee and other community experts to review the diagnostic results and help set priorities for repairs. The chair said the district would schedule that meeting. Officials also agreed to provide updated cost and bid information as work is scoped and quotes are received.

Votes at the meeting: the School Committee recorded routine consent items and acknowledged the Town Council’s capital approvals during the meeting; no additional committee vote was required for council-approved capital items.

What’s next: Facilities staff will arrange the Tremco moisture analysis and pursue parts and local vendor scheduling for compressor replacements while the district pursues warranty and contractual recourse with the prior installer. Committee members asked for regular updates as diagnostics and repairs proceed.