Chinook Public School District officials have announced that they are preparing to roll out several building improvement projects later this summer. Those include a roof replacement on the junior high wing, upgraded LED lighting, and an update to the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

Prior to his departure, outgoing school district Superintendent Darin Hannum explained that the $750,000 price tag on that work will be funded through multiple means. “By using the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), through careful planning and savings in the building reserve fund, and by leveraging the energy savings of the lighting and HVAC system (roughly $35,000 a year), we can pay for the remainder of the loan. What this means is that the school system does not need to levy any additional funding to pay for the project. McKinstry Industries is who we contracted with, and we have guarantees through the design build process on the energy savings,” Hannum explained.

ESSER funding is money allocated to state educational agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing local education agencies (LEAs) with emergency relief funds. To create the ESSER Fund, Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Signed into law on March 20, 2021, the Department of Education (DOE) awarded these grants ¬to SEAs for the purpose of providing 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.

High School Principal, Matt Molyneaux reported that an engineering organization evaluated the roof on the junior high wing of the building at 528 Ohio Street and deemed that as a top priority. “The roof is leaking in classrooms and hallways, not only causing damage but contributing to mold issues, as well,” Molyneaux stated. “We are in the process of finding a contractor to begin that project.”

The lighting in both the high school/junior high school and at Meadowlark Elementary School will also be replaced. Fluorescent tubes will be exchanged for light emitting diodes (LEDs). This upgrade will provide a cost savings as well as a brighter work environment. Not only more efficient and longer-lasting, LED lighting produces a full spectrum of color wavelengths that resemble natural light.

The third project will involve an update to the controls for the HVAC system. According to Molyneaux, the current air handling system in the Floyd Bowen Gymnasium has to be manually operated so that outside air can mix with inside air for heating or cooling. Automating the controls will add efficiency as well as convenience.