Photos of three capital project sites – Photos Colliers

By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT–Having completed 117 facilities projects in the last school year, the district is poised to advance a fresh to-do list of capital funding requests to the town.

The school board, meeting Thursday, reviewed some of the 24 projects on the new list.

Together, the price tag is close to $19 million.

The lion’s share of the mechanical projects are things most people don’t see or think about like  air handling units and cooling towers. Most were identified by a facility study completed in 2019.

Roof replacement and repair, and replace exhaust fans at Greens Farm El - Photo Colliers
Roof and exhaust fans at Greens Farm El – Photo Colliers

“Mechanical projects aren’t incredibly exciting, but they keep buildings warm and dry,” Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice told the board.

John Koplas, representing Colliers Project Leaders, the district’s projects consultant, said most of the equipment to be replaced are simply “at the end of useful life.”

Other projects discussed Thursday relate to safety and security, such as making sure all schools have room identification numbers on exterior windows.

The districtwide installation of room numbers on seven schools–Coleytown Middle School already has them–is estimated to cost nearly $94,000. It was a price tag that surprised Board Vice Chair Dorie Hordon.

Assistant Superintendent John Bayers said the numbers have to be strong enough to withstand the elements.

The recommendation came from a security study commissioned by the board.

Evaluation of building HVAC system and indoor air handling unit at Greens Farm El - Photo Colliers
Building HVAC system and indoor air handling unit at Greens Farm El – Photo Colliers

The idea is to help emergency responders locate specific rooms from the exterior of a building.

Seven other proposed projects deal with programming and will be discussed by the board next month. They include upgrading middle school science labs, installing wireless access to athletic fields, renovating the Staples girl’s locker room and two new studies in the freshly renovated Staples auditorium. One would investigate enhancing the acoustics, and another the look of the space.

Despite spending $3 million on rigging, lighting and sound improvement in the auditorium there continues to be issues. The work did not include replacement of the auditorium’s acoustical panels, according to Elio Longo, the district’s chief financial officer.

“We are just bringing them forward based on requests,” Scarice told the board of the auditorium studies which could cost $45,000.

Evaluation of building HVAC system at Kings Highway El - Photo Colliers
Building HVAC system at Kings Highway El – Photo Colliers

Longo, along with Koplas and Facilities Director Ted Hunyadi went through the envelope and mechanical work item by item, listing projected costs, why the work needs to be done and the projected life span of the new equipment.

The work

  • Bedford Middle School needs an air vapor barrier installed into its courtyard façade to the tune of an estimated $545,000. Water comes through the walls, Koplas said. Such a barrier was not installed when the school was built. Once installed, it should last 20 to 30 years, the board was told.
  • Districtwide installation of ductless split systems that will help cool school Information Technology (or IT) rooms. The cost is estimated at $507,000. There are 15 such rooms districtwide. They are essentially cooled now with fans. Life expectancy: 15-20 years.
  • An evaluation of the HVAC system and air handling units at Greens Farms School, a second phase to the study already done. The current systems are outdated and have reached the end of their useful life, according to the report the board received. The price tag to design and replace the systems could cost $943,265.
  • An assessment of Greens Farms water side balancing and differential pressure sensors. The current system is suspected to be out of balance and when repairs are needed it is hard for the district’s maintenance department to find replacement parts. The projected costs, between design and construction, could be $1.2 million.
  • An evaluation of the Kings Highway HVAC system, which is reported to be outdated. Boilers would also be replaced. Design and construction would cost an estimated $621,000.
  • Replace Saugatuck School cooling towers which are said to be at the end of their useful life. The new ones will reportedly be quieter. The price tag, roughly $1 million. A new cooling tower should last 20 years.
  • At Staples, five replacement projects including 
  1. the air handling unit for the pool ($1.5 million)
  2. hot water pumps and valves ($1.1 million)
  3. cooling towers ($1.5 million)
  4. air handling units for the field house, gym, locker rooms and fitness center ($6.5 million), and 
  5. six gas-fired roof top units ($1.3 million)

Once the board hears the complete capital improvement proposal, it will vote on what to request of the town Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.

Linda Conner Lambeck

Linda Conner Lambeck covers education for Westport Journal. She was a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications. She has covered education throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. She is a proud member of the Education Writers Association.