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School for the Deaf and the Blind requests roof and HVAC funding after infrastructure assessments
Summary
Officials from the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind told the subcommittee they need funding to replace a failing library roof, update kitchen and HVAC systems, and add IT/security maintenance; they also described recently purchased long‑haul buses and upcoming track/field improvements.
Ben Riddle, chief financial officer of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, told the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee that campus facilities need immediate repairs and systems updates following engineering assessments.
Priority requests Riddle presented included a roof and structural repair for the Cleveland Learning Resource Center (CLRC), which engineers found has truss damage and an estimated repair cost north of $1 million; a kitchen renovation for Walker Hall because equipment is aging and repairs are becoming uneconomic; a $1,000,000 request to continue campus HVAC replacement projects; and $350,000 in recurring funds to maintain IT and security hardware.
Riddle also described completed and in‑progress work funded by last year’s appropriations: purchase of two fleet vehicles, replacement of an aging long‑haul bus (Riddle said a specially equipped long‑haul bus can cost about $192,000), approval of campus‑wide HVAC and improvement projects by JBRC, and design work for bus awnings and other site improvements. He said a track and field expansion and a track resurfacing are planned under the approved campus‑improvement funding.
Why it matters: the school operates residential and statewide programs and must maintain specialized facilities and transportation for students with hearing and vision needs. Riddle told the committee the school’s 70th anniversary and fundraising successes have supported improvements; he asked the subcommittee to consider the listed priorities as part of the capital budget.
The committee asked clarifying questions; members thanked staff and affirmed the subcommittee would review the requests during the budget process.
