The School District’s HVAC Project Met with Supply Delays

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – Delays in supply deliveries have upended the district’s plan to complete the much-waited for and referendum-funded districtwide HVAC upgrade project this summer. Business Administrator James Testa gave the project update at the Thursday, July 25 Board of Education (BOE) meeting.

Testa explained that he attends construction meetings with architects, engineers, contractors, and project foremen every two weeks. The latest meeting was on July 24. Testa explained that all ventilator units were ordered last fall, and at the July 10 construction meeting he was ensured a delivery by end of July.

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Currently, Allen W. Roberts (AWR) has received 90 percent of the ordered units. The rest of them are expected to be delivered next week. Demolition work at the AWR has been completed and the asbestos abatement is in its final stage. Testa expects all units to be in place with electrical work completed by the end of August. Heat and air ventilator systems will be operational in September, he said. However, the switchgears that are used to power the A/C units are backordered and now will only be delivered in February 2025.

The high school/middle school building has not received any ventilator units yet. The district is expecting 25 percent of the units to be delivered next week, and 25 percent each week for the following three weeks. All units should be in the building by the end of August. This means that the contractors will be able to install only 50 percent of the units by the time school starts. The existing electrical system is adequate for running heat and fresh air, but the A/C will only be operational in the spring due to the switchgear backorder delay. The district plans to have the remaining ventilator units installed during breaks throughout the school year. The goal is to keep the learning environment for the students as quiet as possible. The existing A/C units will also be operational, Testa explained.

Salt Brook School will not receive any ventilator units by the end of the summer. However, the plumbing and preliminary electrical work is expected to be completed this summer. The bulk of the HVAC project at Salt Brook will be postponed until summer 2025. The work requires asbestos abatement which cannot be done while students are at school.

Testa noted that each school project is a separate contract and there will be no increases in pricing of the approved contracts. Therefore, the labor and equipment cost increases do not affect the district despite the delays. He pointed out that while the delays are frustrating to all parties, the district has no control over manufacturing and equipment delays.

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Two parents came forward to express their dismay regarding the delays and demanded further explanations. Board President Bernadette Cuccaro reiterated Testa’s explanations. She added that the district is moving forward as best as it can. The district is bound by the state’s purchasing guidelines and regulations. She assured that the district will “get there” even if it takes a little longer than originally planned.

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