CCS Board Outlines Need for a Bond, Part I by Members of the CCS School Board

This is the first in a series of three articles to present information about the condition of the school, the desired wood-chip facility and upcoming bond vote. 

Last fall the Charlotte Central School Board informed the community that there were significant facility needs of the school. Extensive work has been undertaken to prioritize and identify a plan of action to address those needs. The Bare Necessities Approach to resolving the facility needs, in tandem with an alternative fuel wood-chip heating facility, will be presented to the town’s voters for approval on November 3.  

More than two years ago, the school board asked for an independent, comprehensive study of current building conditions and long-term needs of CCS. The resulting 2007 feasibility study, by Dore and Whittier Architects, detailed over $6 million dollars in needed repairs and renovations to the school, which is comprised of buildings built in phases from 1939 to 1997. Last fall, the board’s  Facilities Committee prioritized the repairs cited in the feasibility study into four categories: 

1) conditions that are unsafe or threaten the health of our students and staff,
2) systems that have deteriorated beyond annual or regular maintenance,
3) design characteristics and aging mechanical systems that result in excessive energy use, and
4) code violations.  

The Facilities Committee separately undertook a lifecycle cost analysis for a wood chip heating system, given the recent and projected increase in the cost of oil used to heat the facility.  

After outlining the priorities, the repair needs of the 1949 building (the three-story, flat-roofed building that extends toward the playground) were found to be extensive. The Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS) has deteriorated and is in poor condition with large cracks, big holes and chunks of insulation falling off the building. This deteriorated EIFS is inefficient from an energy standpoint as it contributes to a leaky building envelope.  The flashing and caulking at the aluminum windows in the 1949 building have also deteriorated, allowing water to penetrate into classrooms. The windows are in poor condition, leaking air and limiting the natural light entering the upper level classrooms. Other 1949 building problems are low internal air circulation and overheating, causing the windows in the classrooms to be left open even during winter months. The school burns over 30,000 gallons of heating oil a year (last year at a cost of over $85,000) and such excessive energy use can be significantly reduced.    

Further system deterioration was identified in the electrical wiring in the building, from the distribution panel to the outlets and light switches. The flat 1949 building roof is failing and beyond reasonable repair. In addition, the 1949 building has code deficiencies. Most wood doors in the 1949 classrooms are not smoke- or fire-rated. Restrooms in the 1949 building are not ADA compliant. Two handicap lifts are not operational. The dry sprinkler system in the 1949 building is limited to storage, boiler and electrical rooms. 

The heating and air ventilators in the 1969 building (the first story of the two-story building that fronts the school and houses most of the K-4 classrooms) are in poor shape. The ventilators are past their life expectancy and require replacement, which is made difficult by the outmoded system design. Presently they cannot provide adequate and code-required ventilation in the classrooms. The pneumatic control system for the unit ventilators in both the 1949 and 1969 buildings has a failing compressor. Finding technicians and parts has become increasingly expensive and difficult because the system utilizes outdated technology.

The board considered five different renovation options to address the repair needs in the 1949 and 1969 buildings, ranging from a  bare necessities renovation approach (estimated cost: $2.8 million) to complete tear down (estimated cost $5-6 million).  A community Facilities Forum was held in December 2008 to obtain input on the five renovation options and to discuss the wood-chip heating system (estimated cost $1.6 million).  

After hearing from the community and the building experts, the board voted unanimously to bring two bonds to the voters on November 3: the bare necessities approach in one bond, and the installation of a wood-chip heating system in a second bond. 

In the next article in this series, the board will detail the scope of work involved in the bare necessities approach and the wood chip facility. In the meantime, there will be an opportunity to tour the school facility and ask questions at a Community Open House on September 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the CCS Library. More information and background materials on the school facility project can also be found at ccsvt.us. Click on BOND VOTE on the right-hand side. We also can be reached at schoolboard@ccsvt.us.