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After fire‑marshal review, district proposes lower‑cost downdraft kitchen upgrade
Summary
Following a state fire marshal inspection, staff reported a required kitchen ventilation upgrade; an initial $200,000 overhead hood option was replaced by a downdraft approach that staff say meets code and reduces cost (appliances ~$16,000 plus roughly $5,000 install).
Staff told the board a recent state fire marshal inspection identified issues with kitchen ventilation that required correction. The initial estimate for installing overhead hoods and required fire suppression recertification was about $200,000, but staff said a downdraft system using new cooktops would meet the updated code and be far less expensive.
District staff explained the downdraft solution routes exhaust through the floor into an existing basement run and includes grease collection and a secondary freeze strap; the presenter said the appliances themselves are priced "around $16,000" and installation and associated work were estimated near $5,000. The fire marshal has approved the proposed approach and staff asked the board to approve purchasing the ranges and related work so the project can proceed.
