Pine-Richland mulls $8 million-plus in HVAC upgrades at 2 schools

Folks who attended schools before they were equipped with air conditioning will remember how the heat of late summer and spring wasn’t exactly conducive to optimal learning.

While Pine-Richland buildings have more advanced systems for temperature control, mounting inefficiencies caused by aging prompted school district officials to embark on upgrades.

The process started at Pine-Richland Middle School, where a two-year, $5 million heating, ventilation and air-conditioning project will wrap up in the summer.

If all goes according to plan, Wexford and Richland elementary schools are due for HVAC improvements beginning in the spring of 2025 and reaching completion in time for the 2026-27 academic year.

Jeffrey Zimmerman, director of facilities management, discussed specifics of the two-building project during the school board’s Jan. 22 buildings and grounds governance meeting. He said the overall expected cost is between $8 million and $9 million.

“These projects are definitely needed,” Zimmerman said. “We pulled some numbers on how much we’ve spent just in repairs over the last three years. It’s over $100,000 just in parts for Richland and Wexford.

“We haven’t had any significant downtime there, where the school has been either closed or certain wings have been shut down,” he explained. “But we’ve had some comfort issues there.”

The district is working with Tower Engineering, a Ross-based company that conducted professional assessments for Wexford Elementary in 2019 and Richland three years later.

Based on what Tower ascertained — along with examinations of facets including initial and operating costs, comparative efficiency and ability to retrofit the buildings — the recommendation is to install vertically oriented ventilators in each room, as is being done at the middle school.

Zimmerman noted some advantages of that type of unit.

“Even though it takes a little bit more maneuvering around and making a spot for it in the room, and cutting into the cabinetry, it has better dehumidification,” he said.

The ventilators are configured with ducts that lead to the ceiling, with discharge coming from above in four different areas of a room.

“So the children sitting next to the unit aren’t getting all the air. It’s being spread out better,” Zimmerman explained. “Also, it helps with the noise level. It’s a lot quieter with that unit.”

The cost of millwork to accommodate the ventilators varies by building, estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 per room at Wexford and $5,000 to $10,000 at Richland, where most of the rooms have full-width windows.

Zimmerman presented a timeline that, if the project receives board approval soon, calls for design work to take place through September and the bidding-contract award process from October to December. Construction could begin in May 2025 with activities that would have no impact on students.

“We think these assets are going to last 20 to 25 years,” Zimmerman said about the new HVAC components. “It’s going to carry forward for a long time.”