Following discussion and multiple references to “a crystal ball,” Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) Board ultimately voted down the $34 million heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) renovation at James Gettys and Lincoln elementary schools at their meeting Monday.
The 4-5 vote included school board members Kenneth Hassinger, Al Moyer, Michael Dickerson and Tim Seigman in the minority voting in favor of the project.
“The motion does not carry,” Hassinger said after the vote.
While the primary drive of renovations at the elementary schools was the HVAC upgrades, Josh Reynolds, director of facilities, said the district had also sought to remove and replace the roofs of both buildings, which are nearing or at the end of their serviceable life.
Other work had entailed making necessary electrical upgrades, adding new LED light fixtures with a smart system that would maximize energy savings, and replacing the data-lines and adding wireless access points to broadcast Wi-Fi throughout the buildings.
The motion called for the district to utilize a cooperative purchasing network, known as Omnia Partners for Trane U.S. Inc., to complete facility improvement projects at the schools.
Orrtanna resident Mike O’Bryant spoke in opposition of the project on Monday, noting the “only rationale for the renovations is the age of the systems.”
Later in the meeting, board member Ryan Morris said O’Bryant’s comment “resonated” with him and asked Reynolds if there is anything wrong with the existing HVAC systems.
Currently there are not any issues with the HVAC systems at either elementary school, said Reynolds. However, GASD has historically taken an approach of being proactive with renovating buildings, “so we don’t have something go down,” Reynolds said, noting that larger equipment takes longer to replace.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Reynolds said.
School board member Michelle Smyers also referenced “a crystal ball.”
“I just want to say that somebody apparently has a crystal ball. Josh says he doesn’t,” Smyers said. “But somebody says they have a crystal ball because we’re sitting here being told that prices are going up by 18 percent, so somebody’s got a crystal ball.”
School board member Jeremy Davis said it’s “unfortunate” the district is sitting in this situation because it feels like “a Catch-22” since the project must happen at some point in the future.
“Whether or not it has to be done right now, whether or not it’s really what’s in the best interest, you know, of this board, I don’t have that crystal ball either, unfortunately,” Davis said.
Seigman told Smyers that Reynolds shared a past price increase for equipment that previously went up by 18 percent and did not say that would be the increase starting in January.
Seigman said he was looking at either paying the cost for the project now at a lower price or waiting two years, where it could double, “wasting more money.”
“That doesn’t make any sense to me,” Seigman said. “Because that’s acting like you have a crystal ball in your hand knowing what’s going to happen in two years.”
At the end of the meeting, school board member Timon Linn asked if board members were going to request a break down of project estimates.
Hassinger clarified that Monday’s vote meant the project is going to stay on hold unless they run into a system failure at either of the schools.
Reynolds said the project “is dead” for next summer. The project was slated to begin in March 2023 with investigative and electrical work, according to Reynolds, who indicated the “substantial completion” would have been Aug. 15.
GASD Business Manager Belinda Wallen said $2.1 million of American Rescue Plan/Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP/ESSER) funds “were allocated to address the HVAC units at James Gettys.”
ESSER is federal stimulus funds that allow for the upgrade, replacement or improvement of indoor air quality in school buildings, including mechanical and non-mechanical HVAC systems, according to Wallen.
Wallen said the funds cannot be reapplied in the future and have an end date of June 2024.
With the delay of the project Monday, “this will no longer be an option,” Wallen said.
The original HVAC projects also included work on the administration building, which brought Trane Comprehensive Solutions’ estimate to $38.2 million, Reynolds said.
The administration building was taken out of the proposal because it would have pushed the price over the district’s funding allocation by $4.3 million, Reynolds said.
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