Elementary School HVAC Upgrades

Description

February 7, 2025 Parents, Guardians, and Members of the Cambria Heights School Community: Within the past two weeks, preliminary work has started on renovations and upgrades to the HVAC systems at Cambria Heights Elementary School in Carrolltown. While the majority of the work will be completed over the summer, some prep work to the hallways and classrooms will be completed this spring. All work done during the school year will occur during second shift or outside the building. After-school tutoring programs and activities in the elementary cafeteria/gymnasium will continue as scheduled, but certain parts of the building may be closed during second shift as work progresses. Additionally, visitors to the school may notice ceiling tiles removed to allow contractors access to the heating system. Cambria Heights Elementary School was built in 1992. The building’s two oil boilers, unit ventilators, and temperature controls are all original. The building’s temperature controls and replacement parts are no longer manufactured, meaning the maintenance staff often has to control the temperature manually on the unit ventilators in each classroom. This project involves replacing the two boilers and the unit ventilators and controls in every classroom. Additionally, while most classrooms in the elementary school currently have no cooling system, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) cooling will be added to each classroom during this project, making the months of August, September, and May more conducive to learning. Finally, any florescent lighting remaining the building will be replaced with LED lighting. All upgrades to these systems will result in increased energy efficiency and lower utility bills for the school. Cambria Heights School District was fortunate to receive a $1 million Public School Facility Improvement Grant to help offset the costs of these upgrades. Due to the substantial amount of work expected to be completed this coming summer, Cambria Heights Elementary School will be closed for most of that time, and activities such as extended school year will be moved to the middle school/high school campus. If you have any questions about this project, please contact the Business Office at (814) 6743626.