Alamance-Burlington School System is looking at long-term solutions to prevent mold in schools
The plan focuses on 6 areas: HVAC systems, roof repair, dehumidification, water intrusion, window repair and staffing.
After mold delayed the start of a new school year, the Alamance-Burlington School System is looking long-term to keep it from happening again.Top StoriesThree men have pleaded guilty to the 2019 shooting of a 5-year-old on Cole Ridge Road’It was really terrifying’: UNC students react to second school lockdown in 16 daysRapper Vanilla Ice visits Thomasville restaurantGet the latest news stories of interest by clicking here”We have all of our schools cleared from mold remediation,” Les Atkins, ABSS Public Information Officer, said. “The county commissioners would like for us to look at a long-term plan.”The plan focuses on six areas: HVAC systems, roof repair, dehumidification, water intrusion, window repair and staffing. ABSS says it’s looking into establishing building managers at each school, with the responsibility of changing air filters, identifying leaks, and generally maintaining the buildings. It’s also looking into including dehumidifiers in the existing infrastructure of the school and is proposing to rent portable humidifiers as they look for more permanent options. Another part of the plan includes the district resuming roof repair and replacement for multiple schools in the county, a process that was put on hold when mold issues came to the forefront of the district’s concerns.However, accomplishing these will require internal staffing for newly created district positions and working with contractors for potential repairs. Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.”A lot of school districts across the state use contractors for these kinds of things,” Atkins said. “With only 20 maintenance personnel right now within Alamance-Burlington Schools, they can only do but so much. So these contractors would be responsible for larger projects.” However, all of these things won’t come cheap. Replacing HVAC systems, for example, could cost upwards of $30 million per year. Roof replacement could cost $15 million, and staffing a little over $2 million annually. “Every crisis is a business problem, essentially,” Atkins said. “We’ve been in crisis mode for some weeks now. And it essentially comes down to business and finance. We do have some money left over from the 2018 education bond. The commissioners will look at that, and we have some lottery funding each year. The commissioners give us a portion of the sales tax, and the property tax, so all of that they will be looking at.”Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscastsThis plan will be presented to county commissioners Monday at their meeting chambers at 6:30 p.m.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
After mold delayed the start of a new school year, the Alamance-Burlington School System is looking long-term to keep it from happening again.
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Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here
“We have all of our schools cleared from mold remediation,” Les Atkins, ABSS Public Information Officer, said. “The county commissioners would like for us to look at a long-term plan.”
The plan focuses on six areas: HVAC systems, roof repair, dehumidification, water intrusion, window repair and staffing.
ABSS says it’s looking into establishing building managers at each school, with the responsibility of changing air filters, identifying leaks, and generally maintaining the buildings. It’s also looking into including dehumidifiers in the existing infrastructure of the school and is proposing to rent portable humidifiers as they look for more permanent options.
Another part of the plan includes the district resuming roof repair and replacement for multiple schools in the county, a process that was put on hold when mold issues came to the forefront of the district’s concerns.
However, accomplishing these will require internal staffing for newly created district positions and working with contractors for potential repairs.
Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.
“A lot of school districts across the state use contractors for these kinds of things,” Atkins said. “With only 20 maintenance personnel right now within Alamance-Burlington Schools, they can only do but so much. So these contractors would be responsible for larger projects.”
However, all of these things won’t come cheap. Replacing HVAC systems, for example, could cost upwards of $30 million per year. Roof replacement could cost $15 million, and staffing a little over $2 million annually.
“Every crisis is a business problem, essentially,” Atkins said. “We’ve been in crisis mode for some weeks now. And it essentially comes down to business and finance. We do have some money left over from the 2018 education bond. The commissioners will look at that, and we have some lottery funding each year. The commissioners give us a portion of the sales tax, and the property tax, so all of that they will be looking at.”
Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts
This plan will be presented to county commissioners Monday at their meeting chambers at 6:30 p.m.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |