Engineering report warns aging switchgear at Sullivan County schools could cause long outages

Holston Engineering presented the findings of an electrical assessment of older Sullivan County school buildings during a school board work session, saying several schools have aging or obsolete incoming power equipment that could cause extended outages and pose safety concerns.

The firm examined incoming service, switchgear and panel boards at 11 older schools and grouped them into three priority levels: priority 1 schools with immediate concerns and potential safety issues, priority 2 with aging devices that should be considered for replacement in coming years, and priority 3 schools that are in generally good condition. "Priority level 1 ... are schools which have immediate concerns, safety issues potentially," engineer Peyton Milhorn told the board.

The report singled out Central Heights and Holston for Federal Pacific switchgear—which the presenters described as widely documented, obsolete equipment with scarce replacement parts—and noted original fuse boxes remain in buildings such as Mary Hughes and some equipment dating to the late 1960s at East. Milhorn said that when older gear trips it may not be possible to reset or repair it quickly, and a failure could leave a building without power until replacement equipment arrives.

"If this trips ... you probably aren't gonna get them back on," Milhorn said, stressing the difference between modern breakers and older main switchgear.

Engineers gave examples from system work: at Sullivan Heights the team removed utility fuses to allow an HVAC/chiller project to proceed and later returned them; the building came back online with no issues, demonstrating how functioning switchgear simplifies recovery. But presenters cautioned that some gear shows substantial rust or corrosion at schools where mains are located in boiler rooms or exterior enclosures, and that those conditions increase the chance of unexpected failures.

Holston Engineering and board members also discussed lead times and contingency planning. The presenters said lead times for large switchgear can stretch many months: smaller panels (200 A) may be off-the-shelf, 400 A units may take weeks, and larger (600 A and above) could take months. "If you had a failure tomorrow ... I've got a year possibly to get it equipment," one presenter said, describing procurement and installation timelines that can exceed a full school year when factoring ordering, delivery and installation.

Milhorn urged the board and staff to budget contingencies because hidden issues often appear only after equipment is removed. "When you start pulling that stuff back, you're gonna find things," he said, describing corroded feeders, damaged insulation and rusted conduit found in past replacement projects. He warned that replacement projects should be planned to start immediately after school is out so contractors have the summer window; even so, unknowns can expand scope and schedule.

Board members pressed for practical next steps. Presenters called the report a budgeting guideline, not a firm bid: cost estimates in the report are intended to help prioritize projects and plan for contingencies rather than be treated as exact prices. The board discussed the importance of including the electrical priorities in a multi-year facilities plan and of coordinating major replacements in summer schedules so student displacement is minimized.

The presentation concluded with engineers urging the district to prioritize the most vulnerable sites and to build contingency funds and timelines into any replacement plan. The district did not take a formal vote during the work session; Holston Engineering's assessment will inform future budget and capital-planning discussions.

The board's packet and the engineering slides include photos and more detailed inventories of the affected equipment at each campus and recommended priority levels.