Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nottoway supervisors authorize signing of emergency HVAC documents for Crew Primary amid tight timeline
Summary
The Nottoway County Board unanimously authorized the chairman and county administrator to sign a school-obligation letter and permit the county administrator to sign a Train HVAC contract (after legal review) so Train can mobilize in early June to restore air conditioning within a 42-day window. The work ties to federal grant requirements and has mobilization costs.
The Nottoway County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to let the chairman and county administrator sign a letter of support for a Virginia Department of Education grant and to authorize execution of a contract with Train for emergency HVAC work at Crew Primary, staff said.
School representatives told the board the vendor must mobilize in early June and has 42 days from mobilization to restore air conditioning, or the school risks having no cooling during the hottest weeks. “They hope to start on June 5 and must have air by mid‑August,” Dr. Martin said, explaining the project’s tight window and the need to move classroom technology before work begins.
The board’s action follows staff testimony that Train is already integrated into the school division’s existing Department of Energy/EE grant project and that removing already‑installed equipment could require returning federal grant funds. Administrator Steve Bowen said the Train work is tied to prior federally funded installations, making a different procurement route costly and slow.
Why it matters: Board members voiced concerns about procurement, costs and long‑term capital needs for aging schools. One supervisor said he feared spending $4.5 million on a building that could require replacement in 10–14 years; school staff countered that full replacement would likely exceed $50 million and that targeted renovation and grant timing argued for the chosen path.
School officials also told supervisors the project will include indoor air‑quality testing both before and after construction to meet new state requirements and that some work already done (boiler, control panel elements) must remain in place to comply with federal grant documentation.
What the motion did: The motion gave the chairman and Administrator Bowen authority to sign the necessary school-obligation documents and allowed the administrator to sign the Train contract after county legal review. The motion was seconded and passed on a recorded voice roll call in which five supervisors voted “yes.”
Next steps: Staff said they expect to deliver the contract for legal review immediately and to notify Train so mobilization can begin as soon as permits and legal clearance are complete. The board asked for prompt transmittal when the contract is ready so signatures and mobilization can proceed.
