As there was a consensus it would be in the best interest of students, faculty and staff, the Greenville Public School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve an emergency procurement declaration for 26 HVAC systems.
The need for replacement of the systems is well documented and somewhat long overdue as a report submitted to board in January 2021 concluded every GPSD campus building has at least one major structural or HVAC-related concern that needs to be addressed.
However, a lot has changed for the better over the course of a year due to Congress setting aside roughly $13.2 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund).
“Signed into law on March 27, 2020, the Department of Education awarded these grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are LEAs, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the Nation,” a statement from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education said.
On Jan 5. 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced, “The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA), was signed into law on December 27, 2020 and provides an additional $54.3 billion for the ESSER II Fund. ESSER II Fund awards to SEAs are in the same proportion as each State received funds under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, in fiscal year 2020.”
Now, with these significant federal funding sources, HVAC systems, with haste, and much more can be addressed.
Superintendent Debra Dace presented the board with two quotes the district received for the HVAC systems, which she said were quite comparable.
One quote was for $162,000 and the other, $185,621.
“And due to the time it would take to secure projects to be completed via the ESSER construction timeline, it is essential that buildings are updated to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff,” Dace said. “Currently the spaces identified on the attached document is a replacement proposal. We have about 12 units that are out or having issues.”
A total of 26 units among the Manning Curriculum Complex, Akin Elementary and Trigg Elementary will have to be addressed.
“All of this is written inside the ESSER construction plans, but due to the time constraints and due to the weather conditions, we’re trying to put heat in those places as soon as possible,” Dace said further. “So the basis of the declaration is on the notion that delay to obtain competitive bids could cause adverse impact upon the governing authorities of our agency, its employees, its citizens and our students.”
Dace then asked the board to consider declaring an emergency procurement so quotes could be quickly obtained and updated HVAC systems in the buildings installed.
Board attorney Dorian Turner advised that if the board deemed it an emergency purchase, it would be warranted based on the guidelines.
“If you’ve got rooms that you can’t adequately heat and cool and kids who need to be in them, I think that’s an adequate justification to declare it an emergency,” she said.
The board then voted unanimously to declare the procurement of the HVAC systems an emergency.
