Dist. 23 Looks To Cool Down With Air Conditioning Options

Prospect Hts. Elementary School Dist. 23 board members in the next two months will likely decide whether or not they will spend money on air conditioning school buildings throughout the district. Another option could see geothermal heating and cooling make its way to the district.

Board members on May 9 reviewed a list of priority maintenance projects that need to be done over the next one to three years along with what it would cost to install standard air conditioning units or a geothermal heating and cooling system.

If the board decides not to install any air conditioning, Dist. 23 estimates priority mechanical replacements will cost approximately $6.22 million. Replacements would include updating electrical mains for current and future loads, replacing various unit vents, replacing boilers at all four schools that have reached their end of life with energy efficient boilers, and replacing existing HVAC systems in a variety of classrooms.

If the board decides to add standard air conditioning to all Dist. 23 schools, the cost increases to approximately $10.54 million.

A third option is to replace all mechanical systems with geothermal heating and cooling for a total of approximately $10.67 million. That expense calls for $2.4 million in architectural items such as ripping up carpeting and tile, and tearing open ceilings to install the system.

If the district goes with geothermal, one room could be cooled while the room directly next door has the heat on. It also includes removing all boilers and unit vents.

In the next two weeks, the district is spending $10,000 to test a single HVAC bore field on the playing field behind MacArthur Middle School. The purpose of a test bore hole is to see how far down in the ground the district must drill to ensure the system works adequately at the right temperature. If the district decides to go with geothermal, another 175 holes would be dug near Eisenhower and MacArthur schools prior to the system being installed.

My recommendation is to go with geothermals because it is a very simple system, its much better for the environment, each teacher will have their own temperature control and energy costs will go down. Business Manager Luann Mathis said.

Mathis said the board would decide what direction they will go in July at the earliest.

Once they give us authority to move forward, we have to get approval to issue bonds to pay for the project, before we even ever go out for bid on the work, Mathis said, who doesnt anticipate going out for bid until January at the earliest.

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Dist. 23 Looks To Cool Down With Air Conditioning Options