New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
‘You want fresh air’
Reports detail HVAC problems in condemned schools
NEW HAVEN — The recent decision to condemn two city schools has left some parents rattled, confused about how buildings that initially were set to open over the summer have now been ruled unsafe for occupancy.
The engineering firm hired by the Board of Education to examine the ventilation systems in every city school released its final report of the efficacy of every school’s system, backing up the city building official’s decision to condemn two schools in December.
Quinnipiac Real World STEM Magnet School and West Rock STREAM Academy — were condemned after it was found that their ventilation systems were out of compliance.
“You want fresh air: you want to dump the exhaust and bring in fresh air,” said Jim Turcio, New Haven’s building official. “That’s what an HVAC system should be doing, but it’s more important now than ever.”
That their children could have been sent back to those schools ear
lier in the academic year was concerning for some parents.
“The building never should have been reopened without a renovation of the HVAC, so why were we ever led to believe that it would be?” said Eric March, father of a Quinnipiac student. “The HVAC issues were not a secret.”
Over summer 2020, parents at those two schools were asked whether they wanted their student(s) to return to school in person or to remain remote. March said he considered inperson learning for his child under the assumption it was safe.
“We had plans to open all schools,” said Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey. “After further analysis with multiple teams inspecting, it was deemed necessary to close these two schools.”
In a Jan. 8 letter to Tracey announcing that occupancy of the two schools was prohibited, Turcio said the city made the decision after conducting its own inspections as well as reading the findings by Fuss & O’Neill, the independent engineering firm.
“I agree with everything in their reports,” Turcio told the Register.
He said his department has relied on guidance from multiple agencies, including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Yale School of Public Health.
The problems
Among Fuss & O’Neill’s findings at West Rock was that building staff did not know how to access potential air handling equipment.
“An investigation of the building and roof showed no evidence of air handling equipment in the building. There is a locked access door to a possible fan room on the roof but the school staff did not know of a key to the door or when anyone would have been in there last,” the report said.
Additionally, inspectors found an estimated one to three inches of standing water in the building’s boiler room basement with pumps that did not appear to be working, they said in their report.
At Quinnipiac, inspectors observed no functioning mechanical HVAC system.
“All classrooms and administrative offices are equipped with unit ventilators. However, the outdoor air louvers have been sealed shut, resulting in recirculation of indoor air within the space. All rooms with unit ventilators have operable windows, which were closed during the visit,” the report said.
“At least one return grille was witnessed as sealed shut. The building has 12 exhaust fans, nine of which were operating during our site visit. The remaining exhaust fans were not running during the visit and are not observable via (Building Automation System). It is unknown why the exhaust fans were not operating. Throughout the building, many exhaust grilles were noted to be dirty or clogged,” the report said.
In recommendations obtained by the Register, state inspectors identified many of the same issues with Quinnipiac and West Rock. According to a state official’s findings, state officials also noted the louvers at Quinnipiac were shut and that West Rock has split air conditioners that do not recirculate air from outside the building.
The state recommended several fixes, and also suggested ways the buildings could be made safe for occupancy during the warmer months at the beginning of the academic year. At Quinnipiac, a state inspector suggested opening classroom windows and to keep a box fan blowing in a remote corner at the teacher’s end of the classroom.
“This should enable adequate ventilation as long as the weather is reasonable. In a couple of classrooms, a large window type air conditioners are being installed, by removing an entire large fixed window, creating a temporary wood framework that locates the air conditioner near ceiling with the louvers adjusted to blow up,” the recommendations said.
At West Rock, the inspector also suggested opening windows from both the top and bottom.
“The school is looking at finding solutions for the cold weather as the hot water heating system has no fresh component. The solutions include but not limited to window units or HEPA rated recirculation ventilators,” the recommendations said.
Alder Rosa Ferraro Santana, D-13, called a meeting of the Board of Alders’ Education Committee following the closures, to demand answers on how Quinnipiac School could be closed.
“It is the only community school that is walkable for my community,” she said. “We have always had a community meeting if a school was going to be closed for upgrades or for whatever reason, and that is not being done.”
City Health Director Maritza Bond said it was a decision made in the best interest of public health.
“There is a higher standard now expected from these schools, and unfortunately both Quinnipiac and West Rock did not meet the safety requirements,” she said.
Facilities Manager Pepe Barbarotta said Quinnipiac School also is not up to code with the Americans with Disabilities Act; once they begin renovating the building, they would be expected to bring it fully up to code.
“The building doesn’t have sprinklers. Everything would have to be brought up to ADA: the elevators, the bathrooms, all these things would have to be brought up to code,” he said.
Barbarotta estimated that the total cost of facilities in the district was $2.5 billion, and most of the systems have a lifespan of up to 40 years. He said about $7.5 million to $10 million should be reinvested into maintaining those systems annually, more than the annual school construction budget.
Although Santana said she believes the district should have invested more money into repairing Quinnipiac School, former Department of Public Works inspector Alder Honda Smith, D-30, said West Rock, which is in her ward, should be closed because it’s a “hazardous situation.”
“The children are at risk and the teachers are at risk. The HVAC system has not been working for many years in that school that I recall,” she said. “I encourage them to get these kids out of the school. The school needs to be knocked down and rebuilt all over again for the residents of that community.”
Over the summer, while announcing the district’s contract with Fuss & O’Neill, Tracey said safety would come first in the school reopening process.
“We, at this central office, will not open any school that is not safe to be opened. We will not open any school that is not safe to open, I will say that loud and clear,” she said.