02/09/2022 08:20 a.m. EST

The following information is taken directly form the Board of Education website and from town documents.

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 15 to decide if the Madison, will or will not, approve the largest bonding issue in the town’s history. Under the referendum plan, a new pre-K to 5 school will be built near the Green Hill Road campus and Brown Intermediate will be converted into a K to 5 school. The Town Campus Learning Center (TCLC), Jeffrey Elementary, and Ryerson Elementary schools will be taken offline, and both Ryerson and TCLC will be demolished.

The Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt a four-school model that includes:

• New construction of a pre-K to 5 elementary school on the Green Hill Campus on Mungertown Road

• Improvements to Brown Intermediate School to transition to a K to 5 school

• Maintaining Polson Middle School as grades 6-8 and Daniel Hand High School as grades 9-12

• Renovations at Polson Middle School would include new air quality systems/HVAC improvements, renovation of the auditorium, and various security upgrades. The 4-school plan would result in the closure of both existing K to 3 elementary school buildings as well as the TCLC.

New Construction

The new building will house grades pre-K to 5 for students and families in the southern half of town. The school facility will meet current space, security, and indoor air quality standards and provide students and teachers with modern learning environments. If the project is approved, a building committee of community volunteers will have final say over project architect selection and the finer design details of the building. The pre-K to 5 building will be constructed on parcel of land accessed by Mungertown Road. Moving the building off of Copse Road will alleviate some traffic concerns in and around the Green Hill Campus.

Approximate building size:

82,000 square feet

Approximate Cost: $61 million

Convert Brown to a K to 5 School

Renovations at Brown will take place over several summers and both a renovated Brown Elementary school and the Green Hill Road Elementary school will open their doors at the same time. Renovations include changing the entrance to the building, converting classrooms on the ground floor into a kindergarten wing complete with classrooms and private restrooms, renovated spaces for grades 1 to 5 complete with enlarged windows, and general renovations/improvements to bathrooms, corridors, the outdoor courtyard, and parking lot. In addition, the renovation will include significant security upgrades.

Building size: 107,077 square feet

Approximate Cost: $6.2 million

Walter C. Polson Middle School

The Renewal Plan dedicates approximately $21 million for renovations at Polson Middle School including HVAC replacement and installation, auditorium updates and improvements, and security upgrades.

Currently approximately 50 percent of Polson has AC and some of the heating and ventilation system in the building is original to the 1960s construction. Sections have been replaced over the years but the last major replacement was in the 1990s. This plan would replace the buildings electrical system and put HVAC throughout the entire building. Estimated costs for these improvements total close to $17 million.

The auditorium updates and improvements make up roughly $2.95 million of the $21 million designated for Polson in the referendum question. Those auditorium dollars will go towards new lighting, a new sound system, electrical services, HVAC equipment and ductwork, and other items like new seating.

The money dedicated to Polson in the referendum total does not address all the issues in the building, but it does take care of projects that should be taken care of before items such as window replacement can be considered.

The remaining Polson projects, such as locker room renovations and pavement restoration, are accounted for in the town’s Capital Improvement Program over the next 10 years.

Project Budget/Cost to Taxpayer

Of the total cost for the proposed project, it is expected that an estimated $10,000,000 will be reimbursed by the State of Connecticut. Accordingly, the net cost to the Town of Madison for the three bonded projects described above is estimated to be approximately $79,200,000.

Project Bonding Cost Impact Taxes

Years 1 to 5, average annual tax, for each $100,000 assessed: $96

Years 6 to 10, average annual tax, for each $100,000 assessed: $202

Years 11 to 15, average annual tax, for each $100,000 assessed: $189

Years 16 to 20, average annual tax, for each $100,000 assessed: $180

Years 21 to 24, average annual tax, for each $100,000 assessed: $83

Average annual bonding cost over 24 years per $100,000: $153

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“We are absolutely in a better place today than we were a year ago…. We are making meaningful progress,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer at Public Health — Seattle & King County, in a recent media briefing. “At the same time, we need to be realistic about where we are on this long and winding road to the post-pandemic state.”

In King County, this means that while cases of COVID-19 are going down, they still exceed previous surges, according to data from Public Health. Two years after COVID was first discovered in Washington state, the recent omicron variant surge has led to a fourfold increase in daily cases and doubled daily hospitalizations in comparison with numbers from the peak of the delta variant.

Transmission levels in King County are expected to remain high for weeks — but not quite as high as they were in previous weeks. That translates to more than 4,000 new cases since last week, which was about half the transmission rate from the previous week. Statewide transmission rates are also starting to slow down with a seven-day rolling average of just under 17,000 new cases a day, and an average of 1,528 cases per 100,000 people.

Local and statewide health care systems remain strained, but hospitalizations are starting to level off, with about 300 people hospitalized statewide as of a week ago, 166 of them on ventilators, according to the state Department of Health’s most recent count. While omicron is less likely to land patients in intensive care units, hospitals are still facing a nationwide staffing shortage and provider absences. (For this reason, the state Department of Health is currently discouraging nonurgent emergency-room visits.)

As for questions about whether or when COVID-19 will reach endemic status, Duchin has characterized that changeover as “perhaps an academic distinction with minimal practical implications,” one that would rely on the virus becoming more predictable, which it has not. Duchin said such debates are “of little practical value” and, in fact, could be counterproductive if they encourage behaviors rooted in downplaying the risks of COVID-19.

That hasn’t stopped some from making early predictions. Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said the endemic phase may begin as soon as this spring. “After we go back to our normal level of infections, we will have three to four months of very low infections and mortality and hospitalization,” he said.

The IHME has drawn criticism for previous projections, and is unique in declaring the endemic phase so soon, but Mokdad said high infection and vaccination rates had boosted immunity across the population, and could be bolstered by developments like antiviral treatments and variant-specific vaccines. Mokdad said he expected COVID-19 to become a seasonal virus. But even in that scenario, the risk of a surge would remain, he said, citing the 2017-18 flu season, when 52,000 people died and 41 million were admitted to hospitals.

Predictions that specific aren’t widely shared by major public health officials throughout the state. “We’re not out of this pandemic, so we absolutely want to make sure that people are taking every available precaution that they can in order to continue to protect themselves,” said Washington state Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah.

As the virus continues to evolve — something viruses do while they’re still in circulation — there’s no way to determine what risks new iterations could present. Future variants could be less virulent than strains like delta, and more transmissible, like omicron.

“But is there a possibility that you could have a variant that is now both transmissible and more lethal or more virulent? Yes, it is possible,” said Shah.

He sees two possible ways out of the pandemic. “One is that we can be transactional — one and done, just as Americans are really good at,” he said. That is: We decide we’re over the pandemic, and move on to “the next headline, the next shiny object.”

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Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer, cited a global study to emphasize that most companies are making progress in pursuing their sustainability goals. The study, conducted in October 2021 by Forrester Consulting Group and commissioned by Johnson Controls, concluded that sustainability is now the top global business investment priority and that most companies see clear, competitive advantage from their sustainability focus and the goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions.

“Slashing carbon emissions from buildings is critical in tackling climate change, since they represent nearly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions,” McGinty told an audience of trade editors and other influencers. “There is no tackling climate change without substantial investment in buildings. We know that decarbonizing the built environment requires the digital transformation of buildings, including connected, energy-efficient HVAC equipment and controls.”

The Forrester research also found that to accelerate decarbonization efforts, companies must align with stakeholder demands, collaborate with partners on transparent sustainability roadmaps and effectively measure the progress of sustainability initiatives.

To help meet current and future demands, Johnson Controls executives discussed how the company is leveraging leading-edge technology and its robust research and development pipeline to optimize its existing offerings. They include the company’s OpenBlue suite of connected solutions and services as well as creating new offerings that meet, or exceed, customers’ needs.

“We recently developed solutions such as OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service,” McGinty said. “It’s a one-stop shop for companies that want to achieve their net zero carbon and renewable energy goals. OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings includes turnkey access to successful building roadmaps, OpenBlue sustainability innovations, real-time performance dashboards and reporting that analyzes energy, water, materials and greenhouse gas emissions.”

In addition to McGinty, the executives included Jeff Williams, president of Global Products, Michael Ellis, executive vice president, chief customer and digital officer, and Tyler Smith, executive director, healthy buildings, services and solutions. Jenny Stentz, vice president and general manager, HVAC and controls, North America, moderated the discussion.

Smith spoke about how critical indoor air quality is and will continue to be, especially in mitigating virus transmission as people go to school and work. “Building owners and operators have a responsibility to their occupants that they’ve prioritized their health and well-being and made the right investments in indoor air quality,” said Smith. “To help with that, we developed a new offering, OpenBlue Indoor Air Quality as a Service, to help them follow through on that commitment, answer the call and ensure that they’re making investments in their buildings and people that are backed by science.”

Advancing technology that enables sustainability

The executives emphasized that Johnson Controls is committed to driving continual advancements in HVAC technology that enable a more sustainable future while ensuring compliance with government regulations, including the Department of Energy (DOE) 2023 energy efficiency standards and the industry’s low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant transition. The new DOE standards go into effect January 1, 2023.

“To meet the requirements and help customers reduce energy use, Johnson Controls is taking several proactive steps,” said Williams. “Our newest product lines were designed with the 2023 standards in mind, so many available products already meet or exceed mandated minimums. Existing product lines are being retested, optimized and relaunched in accordance with updated testing procedures that align with the new standards. Today, our chillers feature refrigerants with 56%-99% lower global warming potential when compared to conventional refrigerants, and we announced our ducted products will use a refrigerant with a nearly 80% reduction in GWP compared to high-GWP refrigerants, such as R-410A.”

In addition, Johnson Controls has made several significant investments to prepare for the new standards. In the last three years, the company drastically expanded its Wichita, Kansas, residential HVAC testing laboratory and its Rooftop Center for Excellence in Norman, Oklahoma.

Preparing the HVACR industry for what’s on the horizon

Toward the end of the panel discussion, the executives had an opportunity to touch on other key issues – from indoor air quality to connectivity to net-zero buildings – that will be in the industry’s crosshairs this year and in years to come.

“As we move further into 2022, we at Johnson Controls continue to ask, What’s next?” Williams concluded. “We are continuously considering what innovations and improvements we can make through our products, technologies and solutions. We want to help our customers best prepare for and respond to what’s on the horizon.”

To watch a recording of the executive panel, please register at https://cvent.me/ZqZeBr and join the Johnson Controls AHR Virtual Experience (https://cvent.me/Ez2eNy). Once registered a verification code will be emailed or texted within 60 seconds.

To learn more about the Johnson Controls presence at the 2022 AHR Expo, go to https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/ahr.

Media Contact:
Ryan Nolan
Direct: 414.378.9641 
[email protected]

Investor Contacts
Antonella Franzen
Direct: 609.720.4665 
Email: [email protected]

Ryan Edelman 
Direct: 609.720.4545
Email: [email protected]

About Johnson Controls:

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. 

With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering, OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world’s largest portfolio of building technology, software as well as service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.

SOURCE Johnson Controls International plc

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In a landmark study of airborne microorganisms from ground level up to 3,500 metres, scientists from the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found that bacteria and fungi populate the planet’s lower atmosphere in very specific ways and if changed, may negatively impact human health and food supply.

Using a combination of a 200-metre meteorological tower and a research aircraft that circled at different heights from 300 metres to 3,500 metres to gather the necessary measurements, the researchers found that temperature was the single most important factor influencing the composition of airborne microbial communities.

As the temperature of the air changes, the species found and the ratio of bacteria to fungi change significantly. These findings suggest that the currently observed increase in global temperature will have an impact on the atmospheric microbial ecosystem, as well as planetary terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

The study was published today in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by a team of interdisciplinary scientists led by NTU Professor Stephan Schuster, Research Director (Meta-‘omics & Microbiomes) at SCELSE.

Atmospheric microorganisms, collectively known as the air microbiome, consist of bacteria and fungi, and largely remain suspended in air once they are blown off the planet’s surface.

Only a fraction of these microorganisms find their way back down to the surface, when they are washed down by rain droplets or fall back down together with larger particles such as sand grains or dust.

“Our research generated a comprehensive ‘vertical map’ of airborne microorganisms in the planet’s atmosphere,” said Prof Schuster, the study’s corresponding author.

“We found that the composition of the air microbiome in our atmosphere is determined by the temperature. As global air temperatures are rising due to climate change, this could lead to very significant changes in the air microbiome with serious consequences for people and the planet.”

“If the composition of the air microbiome changes globally, it may affect human health, exacerbating respiratory syndromes in susceptible patients, or it could affect the yield of agricultural crops, which then threatens our food security. Natural processes that have worked for thousands of years such as carbon cycling of this planet may also be changed.”

“With our latest research paper, we are a step closer to showing that air has its own microbial ecosystem, much like those on land and in the sea. We expect that changes in the air microbiome will also have knock-on effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,” adds Prof Schuster.

The vertical map of microorganisms also provides a starting point for future ecological surveys and the necessary measures not only for the protection of global environments, but also for agricultural production sites, which may be negatively impacted by changes to the airborne microbial communities.

With the new dataset as a baseline, scientists can also model and predict the changes in the air microbiome if temperatures were to rise by two degrees or more, said the research team.

Key discoveries

To measure the air microbiome high above the ground, the team used a specialised research aircraft from the Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, to collect synchronised measurements of meteorological parameters and airborne biomass samples up to a height of 3,500 metres.

The research team on the aircraft coordinated the sampling times with a team stationed at the 200-metre-high meteorological tower at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Karlsruhe, Germany.

A total of 480 vertical air samples were collected from Germany, which were brought back to Singapore to be analysed. The team was surprised to find that the composition of microorganisms above 1,000 metre was stable, independent of day or night. These air layers act as a “sink in the sky,” where bacteria accumulate in higher numbers than at the ground. The team identified over 10,000 different species of airborne microbes from the samples taken above 1,000 metres.

This was very different from the air samples that were taken below 300 metres, which were shown to follow the 24-hour day and night cycle (called the diel cycle), where the air composition changes from bacteria and some fungi dominating during the day, to wood-rotting fungi dominating in the night.

The discovery of the diel cycle of airborne microorganisms was first published in PNAS in 2019[1][1], when the same research team studied the tropical air in Singapore using air samples taken at various levels of a 50-storey high-rise residential building named Pinnacle@Duxton.

In its latest study, the team also reported that atmospheric turbulence — wind and weather — is the primary driver of microbial aerosol dynamics, which determines how microorganisms in the air are distributed.

Driven by the day/night temperature changes, air masses become layered (stratified) at night and mixed during the day, resulting in the stratification of the air microbiome across different heights of the lower part of atmosphere.

“For the first time, meteorological and biological data of the atmosphere were measured in unison, allowing us to develop a comprehensive hypothesis about the effects of atmospheric turbulence on the dispersal of microorganisms in the lower atmosphere,” said Prof Schuster.

Researchers further noticed that higher air layers contained an up-to-20-times higher concentration of radio-tolerant bacteria, which are known to withstand ionising radiation, desiccation, UV radiation, or oxidising agents. Of these bacteria, one species known as Deinococcus radiodurans is known to withstand a 1,000-fold higher radiation dose than the human body.

The team hypothesised that the ionising rays from sun and space had contributed to the development of radioactive tolerance in these bacteria at greater height, whereas bacteria on the ground have not been exposed to such levels of radiation.

Sampling for airborne life on Mars?

Based on their experiments, the researchers comment that their air sampling technologies could in principle, be used for investigating the atmosphere of neighbouring planets, such as Mars.

By tapping on the knowledge that microorganisms will aggregate in a planet’s atmosphere, it could provide an alternative to the current method of sampling, which is done by a robotic vehicle drilling and collecting soil samples.

For instance, a robot with an air sampler could collect microorganisms from the atmosphere by trapping them in an air filter, and sending the filter back to earth, in a potential future Mars sample-return mission.

The air microbiome study is one of SCLESE’s flagship research projects together with its research into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The project was carried out over eight years, and has resulted in more than 40 papers, culminating with these results. The air microbiome research was supported by a Singapore Ministry of Education Tier 3 grant, SCELSE, and NTU.

Sustainability, climate change and the environment are key research pillars for NTU Singapore and are part of its Sustainability Manifesto launched last year. The University will continue fundamental and applied research to develop sustainable solutions that can mitigate the effects of natural disasters and climate change, and to meet the demand for food with alternative food sources.

Over the last two years during the pandemic, Prof Schuster and his team have pivoted to use their air sampling technology to detect and analyse the SARS-COV-2 virus from indoor air, a technique that demonstrated greater sensitivity than surface swab tests.

Moving forward, the team is planning to conduct more vertical air column studies in the tropics as well as at higher altitudes to enhance and extend their “atmospheric microbiome map.”

[1][1] “Microbial communities in the tropical air ecosystem follow a precise diel cycle,” PNAS, 29 Oct 2019.

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Kara was a cute, funny 4-year-old. I first saw her while she was sleeping under her mother’s desk at a newspaper I used to work for. Unfortunately, the poor child had a severe earache. We saw Kara a lot next year, as her ear infections neglected to come less frequently.

An article published by The Baton Rouge Clinic, a division of Mayo Clinic Care Network, says that a child’s ears, nose, and throat aren’t fully developed until they are around 6.

“Until a child’s sinus drainage systems are fully developed, they’re more horizontal than vertical, so it’s easier for bacteria to get stuck and cause infections. That’s why ear infections are more common in young children than in older children or adults,” BRC said.

Kara’s mom did all the right things, according to the article. She put warm compresses on Kara’s ears and gave her over-the-counter medicines. Then, when Kara’s fever spiked, she took her to her pediatrician for antibiotics, which seemed to work, albeit briefly.

When Kara had four ear infections in less than 12 months, it was time to see a physician who specialized in ear, nose, and throat problems, an otolaryngologist. The ENT doc recommended ear tubes.

“In certain conditions, putting ear tubes in will help prevent future ear infections and the need for additional rounds of antibiotics,” Eliav Gov-Ari, MD, a pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeon, said in an article published on the University of Missouri’s website. “We take into account a number of things, including the level of hearing, presence of fluid in the middle ear, and language development.”

The results for Kara were outstanding. Her bouts of infection subsided, and there were no long-lasting side effects of the treatment. She stopped having to sleep under a drawing table.

The BRC article continues with guidelines for other ear, nose, and throat issues. Most children get colds all year round — Dr. Gov-Ari estimates every three to four weeks – and they most often can be treated at home. But, they say that you should call your pediatrician if your child is running a fever of 101 or higher for 72 hours or if the child is sick for more than ten days.

Indications of a sinus infection can include thick yellow or green discharge. Flu symptoms will add chills, body/muscle aches, fatigue. COVID-19 symptoms will include vomiting and diarrhea, loss of taste or smell.

“Your pediatrician may refer you to an ENT if your child experiences recurring sinus infections or if minor illnesses repeatedly cause inflammation of the tonsils,” BRC said.

When my niece was 6, her great uncle passed away, and I was elected to watch over her at the funeral. About halfway through the service, she fell asleep and started to snore. Inappropriately, I thought it was so funny I had to carry her out of the church before I started laughing out loud.

Well, snoring isn’t a funny matter when it comes to kids. If it happens when your child has allergies or a cold, it’s probably nothing. But, if snoring and/or noisy breathing occurs consistently, it’s time to talk to your pediatrician.

If the doc suspects enlarged tonsils, adenoids, sleep apnea, chronic sinusitis, or a deviated septum, your child will most likely be referred to the otolaryngologist.

“Certain conditions, such as sleep apnea, can lead to a variety of health issues, including malformation of facial bones, behavior issues, and even bed-wetting,” Dr. Gov-Ari said.

Now let’s take a look at nosebleeds. “Dry air, especially indoor air in the wintertime, can cause nosebleeds,” BRC said. “Children are also known to scratch and pick at their noses, which can cause excessive irritation inside the nasal passages, leading to nosebleeds.”

If the child has a minor trauma, like being hit in the nose with a toy, or if they have a cold or allergies and the nosebleed subsides quickly, you shouldn’t worry. But, if the bleeding doesn’t subside, or this occurs frequently, call the pediatrician.

“Although uncommon, your pediatrician will likely refer you to an ENT to rule out potential causes of recurring nosebleeds such as a clotting disorder,” they said.

Bonner General Health’s ENT Clinic treats pediatric cases as well as adults. Call 208-265-1003 for an appointment.

Kathy Hubbard is a member of the Bonner General Health Foundation Advisory Council. She can be reached at [email protected].

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