STINKING UP THE JOINT
Boiler problems at Hamilton school cause concern for parents
Back in 2009, the Hamilton school district underwent an energy audit report, and one of the big takeaways was the recommendation to replace the outdated steam boilers in a number of schools, Lalor Elementary being one of them.
OK, so far so good, makes sense. Energy savings is something everyone can get behind. Furthermore, the audit found asbestos on the piping and in the mechanical room, and noted asbestos abatement would be needed before any work could be done.
Again, great. Get rid of the asbestos. Good idea.
At some point between 2009 and now, the district decided to go ahead with these plans as part of the $18 million Energy Savings Improvement Program. In fact, it started last summer at seven schools after school ended for the year.
Once again, brilliant. Do the work when the kids are out of school.
However, here’s where things get a little … smoky. Students and teachers came back to Lalor, Alexander, Langtree, Sunnybrae, Yardville and Hamilton West after spring break to find temporary boilers sitting outside their schools.
Facebook, predictably, exploded. One parent posted this: “Teachers on the playground this morning caught me and were saying I should call and complain.”
And why should they complain? A few parents said it smelled like diesel inside the school. One parent, Gina Keuper, ended up pulling her two daughters out of school Tuesday.
“Yesterday they were both complaining of headaches and stomachaches,” she told me.
In addition, Keuper, who lives five doors down from Lalor, heard sirens late Monday night, got out of bed, went on her porch, and saw …
“Fire trucks backing into the school,” she said.
She said she saw puddles on the ground, and that a firefighter told her there was a “malfunction.”
In an unsigned press release with both the Hamilton Township Board of Education logo and superintendent’s name on it, the “malfunction” was just a steam release. But minutes after I received that press release Tuesday, firefighters were back on the scene after reports of fumes in the air, and reports from the school had the doors open and the boiler shut down.
But forgetting about safety for a moment … why didn’t the school district wait until summer to do the work? After all, these portable boilers, depending on size, cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 a month, according to the company providing them.
For the answer as to “why do this now,” I needed to go back to the press release. Prepare yourselves, folks. This one qualifies as a full doozy.
“While the project was planned, the district monitored the weather prior to spring break and with the above average temperatures made the determination to move forward as planned. The district continued to monitor the weather during spring break and with the predications {sic} of a continued cold snap this week and possibly into next week, secured temporary boilers for those schools. The delivery and installation of the temporary boilers was completed on Sunday.”
To be clear, I think: Because we had some unseasonably warm weather a few weeks back, the district … assumed the weather would stay warm? I don’t know. You figure it out.
Furthermore, it was noted in the press release the boilers are usually turned off on April 15, but “it can be shortened or extended depending on the particular year’s weather.”
So forget summer: Why not wait two weeks when the boilers get turned off anyway? I was waiting for a call from the business administrator’s office to find out, but as of 2 p.m., I hadn’t heard anything. Maybe they were watching The Weather Channel or something.