Norwalk posts yearly indoor air quality checklists after state mandate; full HVAC inspections due every five years

District staff reported to the Facilities Committee on Jan. 29 that the Norwalk School District completed the state-mandated indirect indoor air quality assessments for every school and posted the completed checklists to each school—s webpage.

Assistant Superintendent Sandra (last name not specified) said the annual requirement follows the state—s Tools for Schools format and the completed checklists—roughly 20 pages per school—cover building and grounds inspections, ventilation inspections, pest-control logs, waste-management and walk-through items. The district uploaded the checklists to the facilities web page and to individual school pages to meet the statutory deadline.

Sandra said in addition to the annual indirect assessment, Connecticut requires an in-depth consultant inspection of air-delivery systems (HVAC) beginning this year and repeated every five years. She said the district will need to hire an outside consultant to inspect systems, prepare recommended work lists and submit the results to the state and the Board; she estimated consultant costs could range "upwards of $50,000 to $75,000" every five years and described the requirement as an unfunded mandate.

Staff told the committee they found items that will need correction but nothing they deemed "alarming" during the walkthroughs; typical issues were documentation, filter-change records, anti-idling signage near intakes and scheduled pest-control records.

The checklist presentation will be added to the full Board business meeting agenda for informational purposes.