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District outlines phased plan to replace aging rooftop HVAC units, estimates multi‑million cost
Summary
Glen Rock administrators outlined a phased replacement plan for 16 rooftop HVAC (RTU) units across middle and high school facilities, estimating total replacement cost in the multi‑million range and proposing use of capital reserve funds to avoid a tax‑rate referendum.
District administrators told the board on June 9 that rooftop unit (RTU) HVAC systems at Glen Rock Middle School and High School need replacement and presented a phased plan to address the most‑critical units first.
Facility staff and the district architect inspected the high‑school and middle‑school rooftop units, which the presentation said were originally installed around 2009–2010 and for which the district had little prior maintenance documentation. The architect rated units on a 1–10 scale; none rated higher than 7 and several were in critical condition. The presenter said, “the total cost of everything, we estimate with all 16 units on the roof is about 8,200,000.0,” and recommended phasing replacements rather than replacing all units at once.
Administrators proposed beginning with the six most critical units (front cafeteria section, APR/fitness center, B‑wing faculty bathrooms, nurses’ office and a middle school gym unit) and phasing remaining units over subsequent years. The board was told the district has approximately $4.7 million in capital reserve available and that the phased approach is intended to avoid a large referendum and to spread costs over multiple years. Board members and administrators discussed timing, crane and contractor logistics, and anticipated lifespan of new units; one board member noted new RTUs commonly last “15 to 20” years and asked about energy‑efficiency gains.
Board members expressed support for advancing planning and design work and for moving the highest‑priority replacements forward; the administration said authorizations for architect fees and construction would appear on future agendas and that actual replacement work would likely occur in summer months when crane access and shutdown windows are available. No formal contract award or funding appropriation was finalized at the meeting; board members signaled they were comfortable proceeding with the phased plan and expected to see specific procurement items on a near‑term agenda.
Administrators said the phased approach would reduce risk of repeated emergency repairs and position the district to apply for future competitive grants if available; they noted prior grant efforts had not funded RTU replacement. The district will return with design and procurement documents and cost estimates for the initial phase.
