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Tangipahoa Parish facilities staff propose HVAC conversions after boiler failure at Hammond Eastside
Summary
Facilities staff told the Capital Outlay Committee they will convert aging water-source HVAC loops to air‑to‑air PTAC units at several schools, citing a recent boiler failure at Hammond Eastside, a court approval for electrical work at Kentwood, and lower unit costs for PTACs.
Facilities staff reported plans to begin converting older water-source HVAC loop systems to individual air-to-air PTAC units at multiple Tangipahoa Parish campuses, saying the change should increase reliability and reduce contractor costs.
"We did get court approval today on the electrical improvements at Kentwood," project presenter Mister McNeely told the committee, describing that approval as a step that had been delaying conversions. McNeely said the district plans to install PTACs at Kentwood High School and expects some installations during the Mardi Gras break, with additional work targeted for completion by the end of the school year.
McNeely flagged an immediate operational problem: "Today, we had a failure of a boiler at Hammond Eastside starting school," he said, noting the unit had worked the previous day but failed that morning. He said the district will prioritize fixes that bring immediate relief while planning larger conversions for loop systems that affect multiple buildings.
On costs and reliability, McNeely said PTAC units run about $1,400 each compared with roughly $4,000 for water-source units and argued that the PTAC approach would let maintenance staff address many classroom failures without calling outside contractors. He also cautioned that some installations will require electrical work and that those differences will affect project scoping and pricing.
Board members asked operational questions about phasing, stocking of units and whether the district has PTACs available from prior ESSER purchases; McNeely said some PTACs bought in bulk under ESSER funds are already being installed. He told the committee staff will return with specific pricing and phasing for larger loop-system conversions.
The presentation included school-specific notes such as plans to evaluate multi-school loop systems (named in the packet) and prioritize classrooms where staff and teachers report repeated heat or cooling failures. No formal vote or directive was recorded on the conversions during the meeting.
The committee moved on after the update, asking staff to provide detailed options and cost estimates for phased conversion work.
