District maintenance staff told the Board of Trustees that one compressor in the high school's 24-year-old chiller failed and that the unit cannot be reliably rebuilt by factory warranty. Staff reported two options: a rebuild of the compressor or replacement of the entire chiller.

"To have it rebuilt is about 95,000 to 125,000, for them to pull it, rebuild it, replace it," said Adam, who provided the maintenance update. He said a new chiller's budgetary cost would be about $300,000 to $345,000, depending on electrical work and other site needs, and that lead time for a new unit is 16 to 18 weeks. "So right now, you're going to hear that high school is cold. It is. They feel we can make it all summer off one compressor as long as we don't let the building get hot," he said.

Staff described operational precautions to protect the remaining compressor, including running the building in a way that shows it as occupied continuously and frequent manual checks. "We're checking it 5, 6, 8 times a day on the graphics and going to the unit, making sure it isn't tripping out," Adam said.

Board members asked whether the repair should be classified as major maintenance and about timing for replacement; staff said a new unit ordered immediately would likely arrive the following spring. The board discussed that additional electrical work could increase cost and construction scope, possibly requiring pavement cutting and other disruption.

No formal action or funding appropriation was taken at the meeting. Staff said they would monitor the compressor through the summer and return with formal recommendations — including budgetary requests — if replacement became necessary.

Ending: The board acknowledged the potential for significant cost and schedule impacts and accepted staff’s plan to closely monitor the unit and plan replacement work for a period when the building can be taken offline if required.