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York City SD to consider Siemens VAV replacements at William Penn and Ewing to modernize HVAC controls
Summary
Siemens presented a proposal to replace aging variable air volume (VAV) boxes installed around 2003 at William Penn Senior High School and Ewing, upgrade controls, and add long-term diagnostics; the district would use COSTARS procurement and schedule work outside school hours if the board approves the contract at a later meeting.
York City School District officials reviewed a Siemens proposal on Aug. 11 to replace aging variable air volume (VAV) units and update controls at parts of William Penn Senior High School and Ewing.
The presentation, given by Angie Klingler of Siemens Industry, said the district’s VAV boxes date from about 2002–2003 and are beyond ASHRAE’s typical 20‑year life expectancy. “They are the pieces that control how much air comes into a room,” Klingler told the Buildings and Grounds committee, describing the units’ role in temperature, humidity and air‑quality control.
The proposal calls for removing multiple end‑of‑life VAVs and installing modern units with updated controls and long‑term fault‑diagnostic monitoring. Siemens said the upgrades would improve temperature control and energy efficiency, and free maintenance staff to focus on other projects. The contractor told directors that district staff (identified in the discussion as Mr. Muldrow’s team) would retain remote control and that Siemens would provide training as part of the project.
Siemens outlined a staggered installation plan designed to minimize impact on classrooms: work would occur evenings, weekends and holidays; installers expect to replace roughly two to three VAVs per night, with a typical room returned to service before the next school day. Klingler told the committee that any harvestable parts from removed equipment could be retained as spare stock for use elsewhere in the district. Siemens also proposed a one‑year warranty on controls and equipment and an ongoing fault‑to‑fault diagnostics program to help identify recurring problems and energy‑saving opportunities.
Procurement and schedule notes in the presentation say the district would use the Pennsylvania COSTARS cooperative purchasing method. The presenter said equipment could be ordered after board approval at the next regular meeting and that boxes might begin arriving in mid‑October with an anticipated project completion near year end, assuming approvals and vendor lead times.
The proposal packet included a project price line in the documents shown to the committee, but the dollar figure on the copy presented in the meeting was unclear in the transcript; the committee asked administration for clarification on cost before the matter is taken to the board for formal approval.
Committee members asked about air filtration, parts lead times, and the anticipated service life of the new units. Siemens repeated ASHRAE guidance of a roughly 20‑year expected life for the new boxes and said the new controls will provide improved filtration capacity. Siemens also said the work would be performed by mechanical and electrical contractors solicited via bid/COSTARS and that district employees would not be required to perform the installations.
The Buildings and Grounds presentation also noted that the district’s Davis camera installation remains the final site in a districtwide security camera rollout; Chief Johnson was listed as the contact for specific camera questions and the committee was told a minor improvement at the district warehouse will follow, with negligible cost.
If the board approves the Siemens work at a future meeting, administration said it will return with final contract documents and clarified pricing for board action.
