10/29/20
By Neil Allen
Standard Staff
On Monday, the Buildings & Ground Committee for the Windsor Central Unifi ed Union School District (WCUUSD) met to discuss potential solutions for the air quality and roof condition of the Woodstock Union High School/Middle School (WUHSMS) and energy savings at all of the districts schools with a presentation from Johnson Controls International (JCI).
School board member and committee chair Jim Haff explained that he had invited JCI to the meeting to explore options to get a better understanding of what the air quality issues are, especially in the middle school, and the roof load concerns that have been talked about since 2019 but have not been addressed.
He also is interested in getting a study done of all the elementary schools as that has never been done, he said.
“I brought Johnson Controls in because they have a proposal that would have net zero costs,” Haff said. “The costs are offset by the savings from energy costs.”
Dean Angeledes, representing JCI, said they looked at ways to upgrade the WUHSMS building “without compromising the new build.”
Angelesdes presented three proposals: The first tier was a low level upgrade for $2.5 million with a payback in less than five years, which would address issues like weatherization, switching to LED lights and introducing a new computer management system for the heating system. The second tier was for $2.9 million with a payback in five to 15 years, which would also include installing solar panels, new windows, and additional building controls and replacing transformers. And, the third tier for $3.7 million, with a payback of more than 15 years, would also include new ventilators, a conversion to hot water heating at WUHSMS and replacement of boilers at some of the elementary schools.
“This would create a better quality building in the short term and allow students and teachers to have a better environment,” he said. “The discussion becomes what the scope of the project is. We don’t want to spend a lot of money and have the building replaced in a short period of time.
“We’re focused on the elementary schools and getting them to a state of modernization,” Angeledes said. “For the high school / middle school, it would be a stopgap to get the school to a better place and a more energy efficient place to operate.”
Haff dismissed the first level. “There’s no reason going for $2.5 million if you can do $2.9 million over five years,” he said. “I think the [third level] for $3.7 is where we should start. It is an $800,000 difference, which would be $160,000 each year for five years. I have no problem spending the money if it means students can learn better, faculty can teach better, the noise level is down and the temperature is going to be within two degrees.”
Fellow school board member Bob Coates agreed that the issues needed to be addressed.
“I don’t know how anyone can be against a short term fix,” he said. “What are we going to say to taxpayers if we’re going to tear it all down? We’re going to be coming with a stretch [with the new school building]. We need to do what makes sense in that short term window.”
Angeledes said that whatever is replaced or upgraded with this project would be able to be taken to the new building if that were to happen.
Interim Superintendent Sherry Sousa was concerned about whether the work being done would require the school district to bring it up to code. “Tier two would bring it up to code,” said Angeledes.
Angeledes explained that for either the first or second tier, there would be no “break up” fee, a fee that the school would be responsible for if they decide to not move forward with the project, and that they would have to figure out what the fee would be for the third tier as that level would require them to do more mechanical design.
Haff put forward a motion to have JCI do a full presentation at the next school board meeting on Nov. 2. Haff, Bristow and Hough voted yes and Coates abstained.
By Neil Allen
Standard Staff
On Monday, the Buildings & Ground Committee for the Windsor Central Unifi ed Union School District (WCUUSD) met to discuss potential solutions for the air quality and roof condition of the Woodstock Union High School/Middle School (WUHSMS) and energy savings at all of the districts schools with a presentation from Johnson Controls International (JCI).
School board member and committee chair Jim Haff explained that he had invited JCI to the meeting to explore options to get a better understanding of what the air quality issues are, especially in the middle school, and the roof load concerns that have been talked about since 2019 but have not been addressed.
He also is interested in getting a study done of all the elementary schools as that has never been done, he said.
“I brought Johnson Controls in because they have a proposal that would have net zero costs,” Haff said. “The costs are offset by the savings from energy costs.”
Dean Angeledes, representing JCI, said they looked at ways to upgrade the WUHSMS building “without compromising the new build.”
Angelesdes presented three proposals: The first tier was a low level upgrade for $2.5 million with a payback in less than five years, which would address issues like weatherization, switching to LED lights and introducing a new computer management system for the heating system. The second tier was for $2.9 million with a payback in five to 15 years, which would also include installing solar panels, new windows, and additional building controls and replacing transformers. And, the third tier for $3.7 million, with a payback of more than 15 years, would also include new ventilators, a conversion to hot water heating at WUHSMS and replacement of boilers at some of the elementary schools.
“This would create a better quality building in the short term and allow students and teachers to have a better environment,” he said. “The discussion becomes what the scope of the project is. We don’t want to spend a lot of money and have the building replaced in a short period of time.
“We’re focused on the elementary schools and getting them to a state of modernization,” Angeledes said. “For the high school / middle school, it would be a stopgap to get the school to a better place and a more energy efficient place to operate.”
Haff dismissed the first level. “There’s no reason going for $2.5 million if you can do $2.9 million over five years,” he said. “I think the [third level] for $3.7 is where we should start. It is an $800,000 difference, which would be $160,000 each year for five years. I have no problem spending the money if it means students can learn better, faculty can teach better, the noise level is down and the temperature is going to be within two degrees.”
Fellow school board member Bob Coates agreed that the issues needed to be addressed.
“I don’t know how anyone can be against a short term fix,” he said. “What are we going to say to taxpayers if we’re going to tear it all down? We’re going to be coming with a stretch [with the new school building]. We need to do what makes sense in that short term window.”
Angeledes said that whatever is replaced or upgraded with this project would be able to be taken to the new building if that were to happen.
Interim Superintendent Sherry Sousa was concerned about whether the work being done would require the school district to bring it up to code. “Tier two would bring it up to code,” said Angeledes.
Angeledes explained that for either the first or second tier, there would be no “break up” fee, a fee that the school would be responsible for if they decide to not move forward with the project, and that they would have to figure out what the fee would be for the third tier as that level would require them to do more mechanical design.
Haff put forward a motion to have JCI do a full presentation at the next school board meeting on Nov. 2. Haff, Bristow and Hough voted yes and Coates abstained.
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