Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. has awarded bids totaling $1.6 million for HVAC improvements at North and East high schools.
The board awarded bids on control system replacements at the two high schools. Director of Operations Brett Boezeman said the two projects are funded by Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief dollars.
The award at East is with Trane for $1,113,578; the award at North is with Jackson Systems for $528,325.
“Part of that difference is the personnel and the legwork that Trane would have, that they would offer,” Boezeman told board members. “But more importantly, the complexities between the buildings. North is larger, but it’s very simple in design mechanically. … It’s a very simple system, and East is not.”
He said in a previous interview that HVAC improvements are planned for a number of schools, including East, North, Parkside, Schmitt, CSA Fodrea, Richards, Mt. Healthy, Clifty Creek and Northside. Most of the work being done involves control system replacements.
“They’re the brains of the whole AC system,” Boezeman said. “So they control your humidity levels, obviously your airflow and your air temperatures, that sort of thing. They also control a lot of our lighting systems. … When those start to go bad, you start having all kinds of problems very quickly. So it’s important to have those up-to-date.”
School officials plan to spend just under $7 million in ESSER funds on HVAC improvements.
