MP district ready to roll on elementary air conditioning project

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

The Mt. Pleasant Community School District is ready to tackle the elementary school?s air conditioning project head on.

The district has approved a plan and opened the bidding for phase one of the estimated $322,500 project, which will include retrofitting the existing rooftop HVAC systems with heating/cooling at Harlan and Lincoln Elementary Schools. The bids are due Thursday, April 13 and will be opened that afternoon. The board will meet for a special session on Monday, April 17, at 4 p.m., at Central Office to consider and possibly award a bid.

On Monday, during a regularly scheduled school board meeting, board members approved RDG Planning and Design?s phase one plan for air conditioning the elementary schools. Fees to RDG for phase one were approved at $33,100.

The district is also looking beyond phase one and down the timeline and plans to begin preparations for phase two, which according to the proposal from RDG will include additional HVAC equipment being designed for all four elementary schools to ?provide heating/cooling and ventilation of existing spaces.?

Before the HVAC improvements can be made, asbestos must be abated from the ceiling tile at Salem and Van Allen Elementary Schools.

Monday evening, school board members approved a proposal from Terracon for overseeing the asbestos abatement of the two properties. According to Superintendent John Henriksen, Terracon would do the project design and survey, the asbestos abatement technical specifications, bid the project, the monitoring of air quality during the abatement and final report.

Terracon estimated abatement costs at anywhere from $89,600 to $145,600 from the two schools. Terracon has been doing the district?s asbestos certification and updates with the state for quite some time.

Board member Chuck Andrew asked once the two elementary schools were abated, how much asbestos would be left within the district?

?Lincoln and Harlan (Elementary Schools) would have some in the tunnels in the boiler room and that would be it,? said Mark Porth, director of buildings and grounds.

Terracon plans to open bidding on the project next week so as to be in the classrooms, removing the asbestos the beginning of June. The project would be completed before the 2017-18 school year began.

?For clarification,? began board member Joy Conwell, ?if this is done this year, everybody needs to be aware there will be no ceilings in those buildings during (the) next academic year.?

The board members approved Terracon?s proposal.

The funds for the air conditioning project will come from the Penny Sales Tax (SAVE) fund. During the meeting Monday, the board members also approved the FY18 PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) and Penny Sales Tax fund spending plans. The spending plan for the Penny Sales Tax fund includes the air conditioning project, bus leases, Middle School Bond repayment and the lease for Central Office.

Before the plans were approved, Henriksen reminded the audience that the Penny Sales Tax is set to expire in 2029. If legislators don?t expend the law, projects like the elementary air conditioning would have to come from other funds.

In other budget related matters, the FY2018 budget was approved following a public hearing. The $7.2 million budget includes a general fund of $5.8 million. As previously stated, residents in the district will see a lower tax levy as the district will pay off the bond for the High School in May. The tax levy will be $13.50 per $1,000 valuation, a $0.82 decrease.

In other business, the board:

? Approved the FY18 budget guarantee of one percent.

? Approved 2017-18 student fees. Fees include a federally mandated $0.10 increase. Fees for elementary students will be $42, $47 for middle school and $53 for high school students.

? Approved a proposal from Triple ?R? Driving School for one year. Tuition for students will be $335 and $310 for students who qualify for free and reduced lunches.

? Approved the 2017-18 academic calendar.

The school board will meet for a work session on Monday, April 24, at 6 p.m., in the High School media center.