Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facility Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montgomery Township board hears $50K–$100K HVAC repair estimates, seeks partners for summer meals; district reports $2.8M in extraordinary aid
Summary
Board committee flagged aging rooftop HVAC units and estimated up to $400,000 needed for urgent repairs; district staff said CARES and ESSER funds were spent or planned for filtration, and Chartwells is exploring summer meal partnerships.
The Montgomery Township School District’s operations committee reported widespread HVAC needs at the high school and told the board the district expects significant repair and replacement costs, while staff and board members discussed use of federal COVID-relief funds and plans to restore summer meal services.
Committee members said the high school has about 27 rooftop HVAC units (RTUs), several of which are in poor condition and difficult to obtain parts for. The committee reported that some individual unit repairs will range between $50,000 and $100,000, and that the district could need as much as $300,000–$400,000 to address the most urgent systems. The committee also noted three to four classrooms have noisy units that staff sometimes shut off during class, creating discomfort for students.
District staff discussed how federal COVID-relief funds have been used. Staff said the district spent initial CARES Act funds on personal protective equipment and immediate needs; a second round (ESSER 2) has been allocated in part to address HVAC filtration upgrades for rooftop units at Orchard Hill, Village and the high school. The district said it is awaiting details on a third round of federal funding and that it is considering additional allocations for learning-loss remediation and social-emotional supports.
Board members and staff said Chartwells, the district’s food-service contractor, is investigating whether it can partner with a neighboring district to provide summer meals. The board described two federal summer-meal approaches under consideration: the SSO (Summer Food Service Program) full-summer option and targeted summer meal programs attached to summer school or enrichment programs; staff said they may survey families to gauge interest.
Separately, the board’s finance update reported the district received approximately $2,800,000 in extraordinary state aid this year — about $800,000 to $900,000 more than expected — funds intended to help offset extraordinary special-education costs and pandemic-related needs.
No vote was taken to commit additional funds at the meeting; committee members said they will return with cost estimates and options for addressing the rooftop units and for expanding summer meal access.
