Board orders gym fans now, asks for HVAC study; approves gym floor replacement be bid

At the Brea Olinda Unified School District study session, trustees directed staff to purchase and install two high-volume recirculating ceiling fans in the main gym this summer and requested an architectural and engineering evaluation of a full HVAC system to be returned at a future meeting. The high-volume fans were estimated at roughly $50,000; full HVAC engineering and construction was estimated in staff materials at about $1 million to $1.4 million.

Staff explained the gym's design limits and the trade-offs between quick, relatively inexpensive fans and a more comprehensive HVAC solution that would require DSA review and more extensive electrical and structural work. Trustees emphasized that fans provide short-term relief and asked staff to test the fans through one summer and fall season and then report back on effectiveness and public feedback before committing to full HVAC.

Separately, staff recommended replacement of the main gym floor (estimated about $470,000) and called attention to exterior flatwork that is settling and creating trip hazards; exterior work to re-level slabs and address underground piping and valves is estimated at roughly $1.6 million. Trustees asked staff to combine these needs with path-of-travel planning and to return with bid-ready documents and an implementation timeline that minimizes disruption to school operations.

What happens next: staff will procure and install the fans, solicit architectural and engineering costs for HVAC options, and prepare bid documents for the gym floor replacement and exterior flatwork in coordination with the path-of-travel project.