Details on GM school bond highlight aging systems

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC

A number of readers have asked for more details on the prices of the elements that go into the total price of the bond. According to Eric Lafayette, of general contractor Energy Efficient Investments, their process is to generate estimates based on current jobs they are working, then factoring in for inflation.

If the bond passes during voting in Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester on Nov. 8, Mike Davey, also of EEI, has repeatedly said the company will have a publicly transparent bid process to get the best prices. At the request of The Telegraph, Lafayette listed the equipment and work that would go into each of the 29 lines in the work matrix the company presented to the board of directors of the Green Mountain Unified School District.  Note, the “bond” line toward the bottom of the sheet is for a performance bond to make sure the work gets done even if a contractor defaults. According to Davey, this is required in Vermont. To see that matrix click here .

In addition to the information provided by Lafayette, Todd Parah, director of Facilities for TRSU and the Athletic Director for GMUHS, also provide details.

It’s worth noting that price differences among schools are to some extent based on size differences of the buildings. The GM building is 126,000 square feet while Chester-Andover and Cavendish are 36,000 and 21,000 square feet respectively. The following is a line-by-line explanation.

Green Mountain High School

GMU 1 – Boilers & Kitchen Conversion from oil to propane — $1,208,466

This line includes three high-efficiency condensing boilers, variable frequency drive pumps and new piping and insulation. There’s also a new domestic hot water system for the kitchen and bathrooms.

Under this line, the underground oil tank will be removed and replaced with propane tanks, which will be owned by the school to allow for competitive bidding for fuel. The tanks will also connect to kitchen appliances.  Also included in this line is the removal of huge old electric hot water tanks that were the original source of heat before oil boilers were added in 1988.

GMU 2 – Remove UV’s, add Energy Recovery Ventilators and ducted perimeter heating. Installation of LED lighting — $5,403,278

This is the big one and it drives several of the others due to the nature of the way heating and ventilation has been delivered at GM.

This figure represents removing the “unit ventilators” that are in every classroom and in other spaces in the school. These are basically radiators with squirrel cage fans and louvers that put heat and fresh air into the rooms. They are original to the building (1971) and are operated using air pressure controls.

According to the school, these no longer work well and can only provide a low grade of air filtration. The new system will deliver heat from the boilers via ductwork that will be installed in the ceilings. There will not be air conditioning, but there will be de-humidification, which will make warm days less uncomfortable in the classrooms.

While the ceilings are down, the plan is to replace all of the florescent lighting fixtures with more efficient LED fixtures. Both the heating/ventilation and lighting will  smart controls.

GMU 3 – Replace Windows — $2,653,350

One of the problems with replacing the unit ventilators is that the heater, windows and classroom cabinets are integrated into the same frame. So when the heaters go, the 50-year-old windows will also get replaced. Other windows in the school have lost the insulating gas between panes and will also be replaced. Tinted classroom windows will allow for egress and will also allow light in whiling reflecting heat.

GMU 4 – Controls Upgrade — $695,000

Replacing GM’s old pneumatic heat and ventilation controls with a district-wide building management system will allow school personnel to troubleshoot and adjust heating and ventilation issues in any of the district’s three schools through the internet. The controls will allow for more precise temperature and ventilation control in each room. The system can also alert personnel to problems remotely and at all hours of the day and night. One example of the capability of the system Parah gave was the ability to scale back heating and ventilation in all the buildings as soon as a snow day is called.

GMU 5 – Kitchen Renovation — $440,710

In a recent tour for voters, Parah pointed to a hallway behind the school’s kitchen where he said the freezer’s deteriorated insulation allows cold air to heat the hallway wall and create condensation. In the summer, maintenance workers run fans there to dry the space, but mold still forms. The kitchen renovation would replace or upgrade the aging walk-in cooler and freezer. It would also replace the current exhaust hood with one with a fire suppression system and replace some kitchen equipment.

GMU 6 — Electrical Transformers — $151,858

There are a number of old, inefficient transformers in closets all over the school. These would be replaced with new, more efficient models.

GMU 7 – Elevator Upgrade — $174,000

Parah has been reporting the deteriorating condition of the school’s elevator at school board meetings for years. This line would repair and refurbish the old elevator which is necessary for ADA accommodations.

GMU 8 – Fire Doors & Railings — $1,167,600

Replace existing classroom doors and corridor doors with new code-compliant fire-rated doors with hardware and security upgrades. According to EEI, the fire doors would help the school to avoid installing a sprinkler system throughout.

The stair railings are a code problem (too short) and upgrading them would be triggered by the extensive nature of the renovations. The expense arises out of the number of staircases, the way the existing railings were built into the staircases and the metal fabrication required to replace them.

GMU 9 — Sprinkler System — $100,000

This will cover the auditorium and cafeteria.

GMU 10 – Ceilings Painting Asbestos and Flooring — $2,022,867

Running new duct work and installing new LED lights will require taking down ceilings throughout the school. This line would cover the new ceilings, removing and replacing existing asbestos floor tiles as well as asbestos in other portions of the school and upgrading the cafeteria floor with rubberized, multipurpose flooring. It would also include classroom and hallway painting.

GMU 11 – Millwork Carpentry — $483,720

This line would cover replacing the cabinetry that is integrated into the unit ventilator/window frames (see GMU 2) with new cabinets for classroom materials.

GMU 12 — Brick Repointing — $192,850

This line would replace deteriorated mortar between bricks in the school’s exterior.

GMU 13 — Electrical Service Upgrade — $1,050,840

This item includes both an upgraded entry point for the electricity coming into the school as well as  to the 1971 fire alarm panel that currently cannot accommodate any new fire or security upgrades. The electrical service will get a new main distribution panel and subpanel upgrades. These upgrades will meet the demands of the new systems, including ventilation. The existing electrical equipment is original to the 1971 school building. See GMU 6.

GMU 12 — Softball Field — $200,000

This was a “ballpark” estimate Parah received in talking with several other athletic directors.

Chester-Andover Elementary

CAES 1 — Replace Federal Pacific Electric Sub Panels — $216,000

There are seven of these panels that are 1960s vintage or older. While much of the electrical system was damaged by flooding caused by a broken water main in the school’s boiler room, the school’s insurer would not pay to replace these. The administration said they would be replaced the following year, but that didn’t happen.

CAES 2 — Fire Alarm Improvements — $136,250

Like the fire alarm panel at the high school, the CAES panel cannot accommodate updated fire and safety applications.

CAES 3 — LED Lighting — $255,000

The three schools currently use 48-inch florescent tubes for lighting. In 2014 those bulbs will no longer be sold in Vermont. Parah sees the replacement of these more efficient lights as getting ahead of the inevitable.

CAES 4 — Convert from Oil to Propane — $100,000

This includes removing the old oil tank and replacing it with propane tanks that will be owned by the school to allow for competitive fuel bidding. Conversion of the current boilers to propane is also part of this line. While the school’s boilers are not the more efficient “condensing” variety, they won’t be replaced because they are new after the flood in 2018.

CAES 5 — Controls Upgrade — $198,950

According to Lafayette and Parah, this upgrade would be part of a district-wide conversion to “direct digital controls” with which a number of the systems in all three schools could be monitored, troubleshot and adjusted remotely. See GMU – 4

CAES 6 — Pavement and Bus Drop Off Modification  — $529,200

This line is based on a drawing for a new way of having a safe and efficient pickup and drop-off for cars and buses and reducing the traffic jams on Main Street in Chester. It is not a final design.

CAES 7 — Window Upgrades  — $1,197,000

The windows at CAES have been an issue for a number of years with the large panes rattling in the frames of the newer wing and no egress doors or windows in the older wing. While board chair Joe Fromberger argued that windows never pay for themselves in energy savings, CAES Principal Katherine Fogg said that the new windows would also be a safety and comfort improvement with tinting that would allow light in but would make it impossible to see in from the outside. In the end, the board decided to go with the upgrade rather than retrofitting egress windows into the old wing. The classrooms in the new wing have exterior doors for egress.

Cavendish Town Elementary School

CTES 1 — LED lighting — $106,400

The three schools currently use 48-inch florescent tubes for lighting. In 2014 those bulbs will no longer be sold in Vermont. Parah sees the replacement of these more efficient lights as getting ahead of the inevitable.

CTES 2 — Condensing Boilers — $448,500

The current oil-fired boilers are between 18 and 22 years old. New condensing boilers would be far more efficient, according to Parah.

CTES 3 — Replace Unit Ventilators with Energy Recovery Ventilators   — $825,000

This is much the same project that is happening at GMUHS, but because the ventilators are not part of the window and cabinetry system they will be less expensive to remove and replace.

CTES 4 — Remove Underground Oil Tank, Convert to Propane — $48,500

The CTES oil tank has been discussed as a possible problem and removing it has been recommended. Replacing it with new propane tanks to feed new condensing boilers would put all three buildings on propane, which is more efficient than heating oil. Having the schools own the tanks makes it possible to look for best pricing among propane dealers.

CTES 5 — Controls and Drives  —  $71,300

Like the other schools, this upgrade would be part of a district-wide conversion to “direct digital controls” with which a number of the systems in all three schools could be monitored, troubleshot and adjusted remotely. 

CTES 6 — Insulation and Weatherization  — $35,000

By upgrading the insulation in the roof of the school, the district hopes to prevent the ice dams that have resulted in soffit damage and unsafe conditions when the ice breaks free. The insulation should also help reduce the cost of heating the space.

CTES 7 — Fire Alarm  —  $75,000

Like the fire alarm panel at the high school and at Chester-Andover, the CTES panel cannot accommodate updated fire and safety applications. See GMU 13 and CAES 2

CTES 8 — Playground Upgrade  —  $85,000

This is a contribution to the efforts to raise funds for replacing the playground equipment at the school, which has been described at school board meetings as “dangerous.”