Consultants warn aging switchgear could strand Sullivan County students after brief outages

Darren Cartman, president of Holstein (transcript also refers to Holston) Engineering, told the Sullivan County Board of Education during a work session that inspections of 10–11 older schools found aging incoming electric service, original switchgear and obsolete components that could cause long outages if they fail.

The consultant team grouped schools into three priority levels. Peyton Milhorn, who presented the report, said Priority 1 sites carry the greatest safety and downtime risk and should be considered for near-term replacement. He identified Central Heights and the Holston/Holstein-named site as having Federal Pacific switchgear, equipment the presenters described as known for reliability problems and limited parts availability.

"If you have an issue at either of these schools, you're gonna have potentially a long downtime," Milhorn said, explaining that parts can be impossible to source and that a main-switch trip could leave wings or an entire building without power.

Consultants described multiple practical concerns: rust and corrosion from boiler-room leaks and exterior mains at schools such as Rock Springs and Miller Perry; insulation on large feeder wires that can flake away; and the potential for degraded contacts or springs that prevent breakers from operating as intended. They recommended drying enclosures, targeted preventive maintenance and further investigation where rust is present.

The presenters warned lead times for replacement gear vary by amperage and can be long. "A 200-amp panel is almost off the shelf," one consultant said; "a 400 is a couple of weeks; 600 you're getting into a couple of months." For large switchgear, the firm said delivery and installation schedules can stretch to a year or more, so districts should plan 12–18 months ahead to ensure equipment is on site in time for summer installations.

Consultants also urged including contingencies in project budgets because removing old equipment often reveals additional needs — from damaged feeder wires to corroded conduit — that increase labor and material costs. "When you start pulling that stuff back, you're gonna find stuff," a presenter said.

Board members asked whether temporary generators or other short-term power solutions could keep schools operating during long lead times; consultants said some Priority 1 sites have front-end (incoming) issues that make generators or temporary feeds impractical.

The presentation concluded with a recommendation to begin planning early, prioritize the highest-risk sites, include realistic lead times and hold contingency funds. The consultants closed by saying the pricing provided should be treated as a budgeting guideline rather than a firm bid.

Next steps noted in the meeting included further investigation at sites showing rust and corrosion and incorporating the assessment into the board's longer-term capital plan.