204 discusses AC options

[soon2bwvhs]

204 discusses AC options
Phone survey proposed to gauge support

October 23, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
Would you support a referendum to air condition the elementary schools in Indian Prairie School District 204?

That very question might be asked the next time you answer the phone. On Monday, school board members discussed options to fund air conditioning 19 elementary schools. Superintendent Stephen Daeschner suggested the board hire a firm to conduct a telephone survey of residents to see if the support is there for the possible $35 million project.

Staying cool
The District 204 board is considering ways to air condition its 19 elementary schools. Here are the four scenarios:
• Two pipe ventilator system: $32.3 million


• Four pipe ventilator system: $35.3 million


• Outside air system with fan coil unit: $45.6 million


• Window units: $5.7 million


"With this price tag, the only way we see doing this is with a referendum," Daeschner said.

Jay Strang, director of building operations in 204, surveyed area school districts in Will, Kane and DuPage counties to see how they handle the heat. He said overall about 74 percent of schools had air conditioning.

Strang also worked with engineering firms to determine the costs for four scenarios.


• Two pipe ventilator system: $32.3 million


• Four pipe ventilator system: $35.3 million


• Outside air system with fan coil unit: $45.6 million


• Window units: $5.7 million

Strang said although the window units are the cheapest option, the list of disadvantages is long including on-going maintenance, limiting cooling to exterior rooms and a lack of humidity control.

He suggested the four pipe system was the best at controlling humidity, but still caused some acoustic problems, which could be a problem for children with hearing impairments.

He said a key aspect to the system was making sure the pipes were properly insulated to prevent condensation from dripping inside walls and causing mold problems.

Nancy Pedersen, assistant superintendent of human resources, has met with representatives from the teachers union about how to deal with the heat in the interim that included adjusting start times and adjusting one window in each room that would not easily blow shut on windy days.

Two elementary schools currently have air conditioning, Owen and Peterson. All six middle schools and both high schools are also air conditioned.

Board members hope a survey would gauge community support for the project. Daeschner said the survey would likely cost about $16,000 to $17,000, but would give the board valuable results.

Board member Jeannette Clark said, if the public were receptive, they might make the December deadline to file for a February 2008 referendum. However, board member Curt Bradshaw suggested proceeding cautiously especially when the board already has discussed a possible education fund referendum in 2009.

"Potentially we could be back a year later," Bradshaw said. "If we did this, we might find a way to finance it into an operating fund referendum to meet all of our needs. I don't like to be in the habit of going back to taxpayers every year. Taxpayers only have one pocket."

Contact Britt Carson at [e-mail] or 630-416-5269.

[rew]

Why do they spend money on a survey when they have feedback they can do through the internet???

[soon2bwvhs]

Good question. Is the survey tool limited in scope some how; I don't know

[wvhsparent]

rew said:

Why do they spend money on a survey when they have feedback they can do through the internet???

Accuracy is the biggest reason. By doing a random survey they can get a better statistical sampling.

[Arch]

wvhsparent said:

rew said:

Why do they spend money on a survey when they have feedback they can do through the internet???

Accuracy is the biggest reason. By doing a random survey they can get a better statistical sampling.

Exactly. I'm not certain how many of the voting public who don't have kids are going to go to the District Website to participate in a survey....

[rew]

The question is does the district have enough support to pass thiis.... I think if you put a feedback survey on the district website or through the district email and you recieved a lukewarm response, you can pretty much guarantee non passage. If you did the same and got an overwhelmong positive response from parents, then you could argue that it's worth putting on the ballot and let the parents do the leg work to get it passed...IMO

[rew]

I can't believe this is the big headline to come out of the SB meeting....don't we have a bit of a crisis on our hands regarding an already passed referendum??

The schools need to be air conditioned, period. The schools were designed for AC. They have very tiny awning type windows, they have no cross ventilation, and they have interior rooms.

But is this what I really care to hear about now...NO.

[soon2bwvhs]

The revese argument could be made. The ES parents that have been lobbying for AC have this issue high on their radar and may not care so much about the HS issue...I think we have to be senstive to everyone's concerns.

IMO, the timing on this whole AC thing could not have been worst. While I think it is a valid concern, I am more worried about how all of this "MESS" will affect the operating fund referendum; in the end it won't matter if we get the HS built on the "right" piece of land and AC in all the ES's if we can't afford to run them.

[doctorwho]

wvhsparent said:

rew said:

Why do they spend money on a survey when they have feedback they can do through the internet???

Accuracy is the biggest reason. By doing a random survey they can get a better statistical sampling.

Also they have voter listings - so it's easy to see who has voted and who hasn't -- a pretty goo dpredictor for will they vote again. On the web site not only can you get blocks of special interests - but hard to verify the person voting actually should be voting on the topic.

This is the right way to do it -- as the price tag swells ( and if really a 4-5 yr install plan - will continue to rise in cost )