Wake County Public School System board discusses long-term fixes to vexing HVAC issues
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's been an issue causing a lot of frustration from elementary schools to high schools.
Parents and students have been affected by school air-conditioning units that stop working and disrupt classes, sometimes even forcing schools to close early. A school in Wendell had to close early on the very first day of classes.
Wake County Public School System Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor said that as the county's population grows and new schools are added, it's also important not to neglect repairs at older schools.
"The question for the board, the question for the administration is when we ask for money, when we get bond money, is how much do we put toward new construction and how much do we put toward deferred maintenance," Taylor said.
Deferred maintenance means projects where the money isn't there to replace them. This can include things such as an old AC unit or new roof lighting or an old softball field that is more than five years past its life cycle.
"When something breaks, we still go out there and fix it, the life-cycle component is more about the planning for obsolescence and taking care of things we know are old and are going to break," said Mark Strickland, chief of facilities and operations for WCPSS.
Right now, WCPSS estimates there are $638 million worth of those unfunded projects, with HVAC needs being the most expensive.
They do have another $114 million allocated but they have to prioritize projects that need the most attention such as roofing and heating and cooling.
"We're moving in the right direction; at the same time we have a lot of needs in the district, we have lots of things that need to be fixed or repaired and we've got to look for a path forward to make things right," Strickland said.
One idea that was floated was fighting for more state bonds. Another was when it comes to the overall budget, trying to balance the dire need for new schools with prioritizing these ongoing projects.
