Council Rock facilities staff proposes Churchville HVAC controls upgrade; will use summer-projects budget

Council Rock School District facilities staff told the Facilities Committee on Feb. 6 that they plan to upgrade the HVAC controls at Churchville Elementary to allow remote monitoring and automated alerts, a change they say would help stop recurring temperature and humidity problems that contributed to a late‑season mold remediation.

The upgrade would replace the building's existing Ecotrol controls — installed about 14–15 years ago — with a system that can be accessed remotely by district HVAC specialists and the maintenance manager, allowing the district to be alerted in real time when a boiler, chiller or other system begins to fail. "We're getting a tremendous amount, so the issues that we had over the summertime there, this will stop it," said Jessica Bridal, Supervisor of Facilities, during the discussion.

The project is not a replacement of mechanical equipment but a controls package only, officials said. The committee heard an approximate price of "a half a million dollars" for the work; staff said the cost will be funded from the district's summer projects budget rather than the general maintenance fund. The committee chair asked whether the upgrade was budgeted; Bridal replied the work would use part of the planned summer projects allocation.

Board members pressed officials on the building's condition and past mold testing. Bridal said additional post‑remediation sampling had been performed and that subsequent tests "have come back at all appropriate levels." Board member Michael Roosevelt and others raised questions about the building's age and envelope; staff said Churchville's major renovation was completed around 2011 and that the controls work ties into the existing rooftop and HVAC equipment rather than replacing units.

Committee members did not take a final vote on the scope or contract at the meeting; the item was cleared to be placed on the next business meeting agenda for formal action and contract authorization.

For the public: this is an upgrade to controls and monitoring capability, not a full HVAC replacement; staff said the new controls are compatible with present and likely future replacement equipment (BACnet‑compatible), meaning future rooftop unit replacements could still connect to the controls being proposed.

The Facilities Committee moved the proposal forward for placement on the board's next agenda without objection.