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Board hears major HVAC failures and repair options for Tonganoxie Middle School; mower purchase and asset management discussed
Summary
District facilities staff reported recurring HVAC failures at Tonganoxie Middle School, presented a vendor repair quote of about $42,685 and discussed longer-term replacement options and next steps; staff also recommended buying two John Deere mowers.
Tonganoxie USD 464 facilities staff told the Board of Education on Feb. 10 the district is experiencing recurring HVAC failures at Tonganoxie Middle School (TMS) and provided repair estimates and next steps while flagging warranty expirations and longer-term replacement options.
Mister Lemus, a facilities staff member who presented project updates, said district HVAC systems installed about 10 years ago are now out of extended parts warranty and that extreme cold or heat strains the VRF systems. He provided a vendor repair quote for two units serving classroom pods that totals about $42,685; the compressors for that repair would come with a five-year warranty.
"When we are down under 10 degrees or we're up in the upper nineties or over 100, ... we routinely see some major failure from our VRFs," Lemus said, describing repeated failures during extreme temperatures and the end of prior warranty coverage.
Lemus told the board the district has approved or will seek action at a Feb. 17 special meeting for immediate repairs and other projects (middle-school roofing and additional HVAC work). He said Trane will prepare an asset-management sheet listing district equipment, maintenance history and estimated remaining life; the district expects Trane to own about 90% of district HVAC equipment once the current middle-school roof project is complete and wants a rolling document to guide replacement decisions.
Board members discussed whether to form a subcommittee to review long-term options and asked staff to gather more information on replacement scenarios, including split-system (mini-split) installations as a possible path during a multi-phase replacement. Lemus said the district is collecting costs-to-date on system repairs and will evaluate whether repiping, split-system replacement, or targeted repairs best meets long-term needs, with the expectation that a clearer decision may not be possible until the system is observed through another extreme temperature event.
Facilities staff also presented plans to replace two mowers, recommending Heritage Tractor's John Deere units at $12,350 each; after trade-in the estimated net cash outlay would be $21,800. Staff said mower replacement would begin a multi-year fleet cycle and that the mower purchase would appear as an action item at the Feb. 17 special meeting.
District staff said they will bring repair contracts and additional cost estimates to the Feb. 17 special meeting and are arranging vendor meetings, including with Trane's new representation, to clarify service and longer-term replacement options.
