Lincoln Elementary to get $3.8 million HVAC overhaul

Washington’s Lincoln Elementary School will undertake a major project over the summer.

The school will be getting a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), according to Superintendent Willie Stone.

“Right now the school has a single boiler system that is three or four years past its expected life,” Stone said.

Each room has single unit air conditioners with no buildingwide ventilation system.

The plan calls for switching to an energy-efficient geothermal system.

“With COVID, we thought it was wise to move to an air handling system,” Stone said.

The district is currently accepting bids on the project, with an April 27 deadline.

However, the school board made a proactive move last week by authorizing the purchase of Trane HVAC equipment for the project at a cost of $616,220 with an additional $13,111 for a second year of labor warranty for a total cost of $629,331.

“By purchasing direct and approving this purchase now, we will be able to place the equipment order prior to the bids for the Lincoln geothermal project being awarded,” Stone said. “This will allow the equipment to ship early enough in the summer for us to complete most of the project before school starts this fall.”

Stone said that project engineers have reviewed the equipment purchase, and their projections show that the purchase falls within the project’s budget.

Stone said the overall cost of the project is estimated to be $3.8 million.

Another part of the same overall project is renovating restrooms in the old part of Washington High School (the former junior high school) to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Those renovations account for an additional $300,000 on top of the $3.8 million for the Lincoln elementary project.