Huron Valley board reviews food service equipment purchase and summer dehumidifier plan

The Huron Valley Schools Board received two procurement presentations as first reads: one to purchase food‑service equipment at the high‑school level using the food service special‑revenue fund, and a second to buy dehumidifiers and air scrubbers to run in elementary buildings over summer months.

Director of operations (Van Gogham) told the board the food‑service purchase (proposal from Stafford Smith via the Moore Cooperative) amounts to roughly $222,270 for equipment with a recommended 12% contingency, bringing the project total to just under $250,000. He said the purchase would be paid from an excess balance in the food and nutrition services special‑revenue fund—earned revenue from meal programs—and therefore would not come from bond or general operations funds.

Van Gogham also described a bid to buy 20 dehumidifiers and 30 air scrubbers (estimated $95,000, contingency to about $106,000) to run during the summer as a preventative measure to reduce mold growth and the need for ad‑hoc remediation. The administration said recent summers’ high humidity had led to remediation costs—estimated at roughly $500,000 over two years—and the new equipment is intended as a cost‑effective preventive strategy.

Board members asked clarifying questions about fund restrictions and timing; administration explained special‑revenue funds cannot be used for general operations and that the dehumidifiers would be deployed after students leave for summer. Both items will return for formal board action after the required second readings and review of materials.