Also learns of many issues with HVAC system at high school
The Greene County Schools board at its July 17 meeting approved the needed resolutions to sell $6.1 million in school capital loan notes to pay for installing solar panels at the district’s three schools. The sale was scheduled to start for the next day.
According to school superintendent Brett Abbotts, the interest rate on the bonds will not be known until July 31.
The board also approved a financial services agreement with Piper Sandler to handle the sale. The agreement included $24,500 compensation to the company.
The bonds will be repaid with projected revenue from the district’s physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL).
The board also approved a $28,000 contract with DLR Group for facility assessment, master planning and capital improvements. DLR will examine all three buildings, hold stakeholder workshops, and develop a long-range plan for major purchases and building maintenance.
The goal is to avoid large, unexpected expenses, like roof replacements. “I like having a plan to go off of,” board member Tim Riphagen said.
The cost for DLR Group’s services will come from either PPEL funds or SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education sales tax) funds.
Superintendent Abbotts reported having a lengthy meeting that morning with Optimized Systems of Johnston, the firm hired in February to do a mechanical system optimization plan for the high school. The goal is to decrease energy costs, which were calculated then to be nearly $600,000 for the year for the district, with 44 percent of that being at the high school.
Optimized Systems was recommended by OPN Architects and Modus Engineering, the companies that designed the building and HVAC systems.
The report “unpacked a lot of errors and issues at the high school, unfortunately a lot of concerns… They uncovered things that were not installed correctly to begin with or things that quickly faulted out because they were installed incorrectly,” Abbotts said.
He called the information “really deep… They went through the high school with the finest toothed comb possible.”
Abbotts said a company (unnamed) will address the highest priority issues, and Optimized Systems will return and run their tests again “to make sure the work was done as it was supposed to have been done… They’re committed to us.”
The district has a one-year contract with Optimized Systems.
Abbotts said he would explore with an attorney the process of having the company that initially installed the HVAC system pay to correct errors, but that the district would need to pay upfront and seek reimbursement. “It was five years ago. It’s difficult to say whether or not anybody is going to honor any of their past work from five years ago,” Abbotts said.
Optimized Systems did not provide an estimate of cost to remedy the errors.
Abbotts reported new light poles are being installed at Linduska Field, and new carpet is being installed at the elementary school.
The board approved the purchase of a Turf Tank 2 autonomous robotic athletic field painter. Cost of the device is $61,000, with a $5,000 annual charge for paint and materials.
Abbotts explained the Turf Tank 2 can line a football field in about 3-1/2 hours, a job it takes three or four people 10-12 hours to complete. Including Linduska Field, three practice fields, and Karber Field in Grand Junction, two employees spend 150-160 hours per year painting.
The machine can also be programmed to paint discus and shotput grids for field events, and even custom logos.
PPEL funds will be used for the purchase. Abbotts said various community organizations and businesses have pledged donations toward the cost of the machine.
High school counselor Kyle Kinne told the board he plans to use the services of EFR, a Des Moines-based non-profit agency that provides mental health services in schools. EFR will provide up to six counseling sessions for a student or family, and then help facilitate finding further help if needed. Help is available to all students, without using insurance or the student having a prior mental health diagnosis. There’s also a 27/7 hotline available that student can use without anyone at the school knowing. Cost to the district is $4,000.
Kinne said some Des Moines schools use a referral to EFR in lieu of suspension, and that Perry and Woodward-Granger Community Schools use it. “This would be a wonderful thing for our kids to have access to,” Kinne said.
“It’s a nominal cost,” Abbots said. “Even if one family takes advantage of it, it’s another extension of what the school is providing. We think about educating the entire child, but it’s not just the kid, it’s the family, too.”
