WESLACO, Texas — Weslaco ISD trustees were told July 31 that Carrier Corporation has not made the progress the district expected on HVAC retrofit work at Memorial Airport, Northbridge and two other campuses, prompting the district’s attorney to notify Carrier and the district to begin a surety-bond claim process.

The district’s presentation said the law firm Walsh Gallegos sent a notice after Carrier “failed to make immediate and adequate progress” on the contractor’s substantial-completion schedule. Dr. Rivera, the district’s presenter on construction topics, said Carrier initially responded on May 16 with an action plan and worked for four to six weeks, then slowed; the district issued the attorney notice and later proceeded toward a surety claim.

The issue matters to classroom operations: Carrier’s schedule submitted to the district now splits work into three phases, with the company “stated that all HVAC projects are to be completed by August 26,” according to district materials. The district also said no on-site work had begun at Northbridge Elementary and Goya Middle School at the time of the update.

Carrier’s on-site manager, Robert Contello, told the board he has replaced underperforming subcontractors and is installing temporary control systems and controls on existing air handlers to get two campuses operating for the coming school year. “We are putting in temporary controls because we’ve disabled your controls once we started taking VAVs out…. That’ll get you through the school year,” Contello said. He added bluntly of the original subcontractor selection: “They bit off more than they can chew. Point blank.”

Trustees expressed frustration and asked whether the district should terminate Carrier and re‑bid the work. Trustee Ben Castillo said the district should “give Carrier one more chance,” but added, “If the contractor can’t get it done, they can’t get it done. Let’s just move on, file a claim with a surety for any kind of lost value… and just go with a different vendor.” Several trustees pushed for stronger project oversight and for consideration of separate contractors per campus — an idea Trinity MEP consultant Leo Munoz had raised in earlier presentations.

Dr. Rivera told trustees that the district’s legal team has initiated steps including liquidated‑damages provisions in the contract; the presentation stated liquidated damages have been initiated and contract reviews completed by district counsel and staff. The district said it has added a construction consultant to provide closer field oversight.

No formal board motion or vote occurred at the workshop. Discussion ended with trustees pressing for weekly field reports and clearer evidence that Carrier has bought or reserved key equipment — a concern consultants flagged because certain air-handling components can take months to fabricate.

The district’s project timeline in the materials provided to trustees shows temporary controls for portions of Memorial and Airport campuses were expected by late July, mechanical pad and chiller installation in 2025, and full completion of all four campuses pushed into August 2026. The board directed staff to continue legal follow-up, pursue the surety claim as warranted, and press Carrier for written assurances and weekly progress updates.

Trustees requested that district staff return with documentation of subcontractor changes, confirmation of equipment orders and a field‑oversight plan before the next regular meeting.