Piedmont schools report large facilities push: HVAC inventory, roof work and safety inspections underway

Eddie Wright, operations director for Piedmont Public Schools, told the board the operations department has completed an inventory and begun preventive maintenance across HVAC, fire-protection, plumbing and electrical systems districtwide.

Wright said the district has enlisted local contractors — EEI, Esco Mechanical, Luckinbill, Firetrol, Any Hour Plumbing, Grimes Electric, Universal Roofing, Corel Roofing and Lingo Construction — to support repairs and inspections. “One of the things that I love Randy for, he has done a phenomenal job getting into the systems and identifying how they work,” Wright said, referring to Randy Trail, the district’s new lead HVAC technician.

Wright described a recent humidity problem at the district’s ECC/Stone Ridge units: a room measured about 78% humidity until technicians adjusted unit settings and reduced it to roughly 40%. Darnell Zug, director of maintenance, and Wright said crews are resetting controls, cleaning intakes and coils, stocking replacement filters and creating a seven‑year planned maintenance schedule for HVAC systems.

The district reported locating 12 deficiencies in fire panels with Firetrol and noted ongoing sprinkler testing, door-lock and camera checks, and Knox box coordination with the Piedmont Fire Department. Water- and plumbing-related inspections have cataloged water heaters by year and BTU, Wright said, and a new water meter and line were installed at the high school. Boiler-room inspections have led to recent replacements at some sites.

Electrical work identified a sequencing issue in high school science labs that required reconfiguration rather than replacement, Wright said; that work helped prepare lab spaces for classes. Custodial and interior/exterior safety inspections have covered bleachers, playground equipment, gutters, roofs, railings and locker rooms; the district said Universal and Corel Roofing will move forward on leak repairs.

Wright said Universal Roofing will place a cap over the high school roof in about three weeks at no cost to the district. He also reported a regularized pest-control program and caulking projects with Lingo Construction to address water intrusion. Wright praised his maintenance team for voluntarily renovating visitor-side restrooms at the football field ahead of events.

Transportation director Josh Critchfield reported 36 routes staffed by 43 employees, 14 new buses purchased in fiscal 2025 and the return of nine leased buses; the district said no buses remain on lease. The transportation program serves more than 3,100 students, and about 1,300 families are using the district’s StopFinder bus-tracking app. Wright added that 33 coaches or directors are CDL-certified to support transportation needs when necessary.

Wright said the district is standardizing HVAC and other systems for future construction and plans to add building automation and remote monitoring; he noted staff are already adding temperature/humidity automation to kitchen refrigerators to get early alerts.

Board members asked where the high‑humidity problem had been found; Wright and Zug identified ECC/Stone Ridge as a location where units required resetting. The board and staff emphasized balancing HVAC set points with comfort and mold prevention, noting that lowering room temperatures increases relative humidity if systems cannot dehumidify effectively.

Wright concluded that the operations work — inventories, partner contracts and preventive maintenance — is intended to support safe, functional facilities for students and staff.