Valley Central staff recommends adding cooling to some capital projects, prepping other classrooms for future air conditioning

VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT — District staff at the Valley Central School District Board of Education’s May special meeting recommended adding cooling to certain capital-project spaces and preparing other classrooms now so air conditioning can be added later without replacing unit ventilators.

Brad (staff member) told the board that adding cooling to the high school science rooms — which were already scheduled for ventilation replacement under Capital Project 23, Proposition 3 — would add an estimated approximately $280,000 in electrical and equipment costs. Staff said the project is out to bid and that bids could come in under budget; they also said conversations with casework vendors suggest an estimated savings of about $100,000 compared with what had been budgeted. Staff recommended proceeding to include cooling coils and related electrical work in the current purchases so the spaces will be cooled for years to come if the board approves the equipment purchase tonight and bids are later awarded accordingly.

For Montgomery Elementary, East Coldenham Elementary and Berea Elementary, staff recommended that the district purchase unit ventilators now that include cooling coils and include chilled-water piping runs in the installation scope so that the classrooms can be connected to a cooling source in the future without replacing the unit ventilators. Staff said they were not proposing to make those elementary classrooms air conditioned at this time, but to “prep” them so later connection would be easier and less costly.

To offset the added costs, staff proposed deferring replacement or upgrades of gymnasium ventilation equipment to a later phase or future capital project. Staff estimated that deferring the gym ventilation work would generate about $645,000 in savings to offset other costs, leaving the project overall approximately $170,000 under (as stated by staff). Brad said the district is also replacing the high school chiller as part of the broader work.

Board members asked technical questions about chillers versus rooftop units and whether individual self-contained classroom units had been considered; staff said they plan a districtwide cooling study and that larger centralized systems tend to be more cost-effective at scale. Staff emphasized that the current request centers on purchasing equipment and preparing infrastructure; final contract awards for mechanical work will follow the bid openings.

The consent agenda — which the board approved by voice vote and which included the equipment purchases with one item pulled (MOA number 5) and an addendum — passed by voice vote. The transcript records the vote as “Past 7,” indicating the motion carried with the board president calling the motion passed.

No final mechanical contracts were awarded at the May special meeting; staff said final contracts will be returned to the board after bids are opened and evaluated.

Those present also discussed the practical threshold in state guidance requiring spaces over 88 degrees to be vacated; staff noted that this made timely cooling work important for occupant safety and continuity of instruction.