By Tim Leeds
The Sunnyside Elementary School's heating and ventilation systems are the school district's top priority in current school building improvements.
"They aren't going to last. It just isn't a good system," Ric Floren, director of operations, told the board of trustees at the board meeting Tuesday night.
Floren said the school still uses the original boiler and heating system installed more than 40 years ago. He said the system will only last two to three years more at most.
The current boiler is also extremely difficult and slow to regulate, Floren said. He said there are also problems with the lack of external air ventilation. Under current building codes, he said, this system could not even be built.
The system cannot be replaced immediately, Floren said. He said money will need to be acquired over the next two years to fund the project. The project is estimated at $450,000, he said.
Floren said the alternative is to replace the boiler, which is estimated at $75,000. He said that while the Elementary Building Reserve Committee looked at this along with several other projects, complete replacement of the system was given the top priority.
Floren said he has seen the board's desire to maintain and improve the school property already owned. He said the district can either take care of existing property and use it for another 50 years, or build a new elementary school at a cost of $6 million to $7 million.
