BET weighs $1.477M cost to replace Cos Cob School’s climate system
GREENWICH — The Board of Estimate and Taxation is slated to approve a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for Cos Cob School, where the HVAC system is “failing.”
But how the new HVAC system will be paid for remains an open question.
On Tuesday afternoon, the BET’s Budget Committee unanimously voted to recommend allocating $1.477 million to buy a new climate system for the elementary school. The current one is 25 years old and needs expensive repairs. District officials said replacing the system, rather than repairing it, would be a better long-term solution.
Sean O’Keefe, the school district’s chief operating officer, told the BET it was a “failing system.” With the need to expedite the project, O’Keefe said the district decided to act now instead of putting the request in the new school budget, which had been the original plan.
“We talked to our on-call HVAC contractor and the conclusion was we should replace it as soon as possible,” O’Keefe said. The district put the project out for bid in early November. The bid for $1.3 million, with contingency funding, would result in a need for $1.477 million, he said.
Work over the summer
School district Director of Facilities Dan Watson said the funds must be in place now so the equipment, which is heavily in demand, can be purchased and the contractor arranged.
“There’s been a mad rush in HVAC purchasing, as you may imagine, because everybody is up in arms around COVID and ventilation,” Watson said. “Equipment is becoming a very long-lead item. We’re trying to expedite it as best possible.”
The HVAC system works at Cos Cob, but Watson said it was “suspect” and said there were concerns about the age of the system if anything went wrong with it.
The request is an interim appropriation, which is done outside of the town’s normal budget process due to urgency.
If the funds were allocated in the 2021-22 municipal budget, the district would not be able to get the money until the start of the new fiscal year next July.
But with the interim appropriation, the school district will get the money as soon as the Representative Town Meeting signs off on it. This way, the system could be replaced over the summer.
Watson called the work, which would include limited construction on the school’s ducts, “very intrusive” and said it would be best completed before classes begin next fall.
The Board of Education is expected to vote on the 2021-22 school budget on Thursday night. O’Keefe said the proposed budget would be reduced in anticipation of the approval of the interim allocation.
How the town will cover the cost is still under discussion. The Budget Committee’s recommendation will go before the full BET on Thursday, where it is expected to meet quick approval.