Air conditioning debate heats up

By Lisa Majors-Duff

The debate, which was held last Thursday (Aug. 16) during the county commissioners' regular meeting, centered around what to do in the meantime to address temperature control problems in the current facility.

Architect Stephanie Holland of Cort Architectural Group in Asheville showed commissioners drawings for the nearly $1.6 million cafeteria project, just as she did for school board members Aug. 13. The new cafeteria and kitchen are planned for an area currently used for a parking lot adjacent to the existing cafeteria.

Once the new dining room is completed, a portion of the current cafeteria space will be turned into a commons area with the remainder slated for use as guidance department offices.

As was first discussed at a school board meeting earlier last week, Commissioner Stacy Buchanan brought up a request that five or six air conditioning roof units be purchased and installed to alleviate the 140 degree temperatures being experienced in the current cafeteria and kitchen. Buchanan proposed that $144,112 in uncommitted funds and investment earnings on the school renovation loan be used for this purpose.

But the cost estimates - anywhere from $35,000 to $75,000 - would require the project be put out for bid, pushing installation back to November, a time of year when artificial cool air is not necessarily required, said architect John Cort. Also, the base bid for the new cafeteria - $1,591,810 - includes heating and air conditioning units, which would be more economical to operate and have a longer life span, he said.

A flaw was found in another suggestion - to require whoever is awarded the cafeteria project to install the new air conditioners and have them operational by the time school starts next year - when it was pointed out that the construction plan calls for the air conditioners to be placed in the already-crowded kitchen space.

At this point, Commissioner Conrad Burrell began to question cost estimates for air conditioning the current cafeteria/kitchen space.

"Could we get cost estimates before we decide to do this?" Burrell requested. "What if we are over budget and we've spent this $75,000?"

School Board Chairman Martha Queen also had concerns about air conditioner units on the roof of the cafeteria.

"Once you cut through the roof, you've done it," she said. Besides, "that school has been there for 40 years and everybody has suffered. I don't want to waste money."

In an attempt to offer another solution, commissioners' Chairman Jay Denton suggested that if air conditioning was considered a priority, the school system could use capital outlay funds for the project. About $44,000 over what was requested was added to the school system's capital outlay line item this year, he said.

As for the project's investment earnings, Denton pointed out that that money would be needed if anything unforeseen occurs, such as an area of the renovation coming in over budget.

With most of the points on the table, Buchanan made the motion to allow Cort to proceed with the design aspect of the project, adding that the contractor who gets the job will be required to have the air conditioning operating by Aug. 1, 2002.

"I'm not going to vote for that because I don't know how much money is involved," Denton said.

Buchanan's motion failed by a vote of 3-2, with Denton, Burrell and Commissioner Franz Whitmire voting against the measure, and Commissioner Roberta Crawford siding with Buchanan.

That vote was immediately followed by a motion to allow the architect to design the 8,500-square-foot new cafeteria, which will accommodate 450 students. The new motion passed 4-1, with Crawford voting against the measure.

With three school board members present, the Board of Education held a separate meeting in the county manager's office after the commissioners' vote passed. Queen, Ali Laird-Large and Mary Jane Dillard voted in favor of allowing Cort to proceed with plans for the new cafeteria and kitchen, Superintendent Mack McCary said Monday.

Turning to the issue of air conditioning for the existing cafeteria space, the three school board members voted to contract with the engineering firm Reese, Nolan and McElrath for a study of several cooling options, McCary said.

The engineers' report, expected in time for the Aug. 27 school board meeting, will include the pros and cons for three possbile ways to air condition the cafeteria, the superintendent said. Options to be considered include installation of several small roof units, installation of one large roof unit, and installation of one large unit capable of cooling both the existing and future cafeteria space, McCary said.

School board members are concerned about the excessive heat in the existing cafeteria, McCary said, but don't want to waste money on a "quick fix." The two board members absent from last Thursday's meeting, Ray Trine and James Roper, are in agreement with addressing the current problem, McCary said, but both also want to be sure that whatever is done is a long-term solution as well.

Associate Editor Lynn Hotaling contributed to this article.

Back to Archive: 08/23/01.