Removing rooftop air conditioning units that weigh between 500 and 700 pounds requires bringing in the big machinery. If you were near Grant Union High School today, that's exactly what you saw.

A 75-ton crane lifted aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units off the school roof.

In April, Twins Rivers Unified School District unveiled an aggressive plan for installing new HVAC units in two schools—Grant Union High School and Harmon Johnson Elementary. The new five-month effort was launched as a campaign called "Feel the Difference: Creating a New Climate in Our Classrooms."

The district is thrilled to report that the HVAC project is on schedule and within our budget. We can say with confidence that we are keeping our promise to our students, our staff and the community. Thirty-seven units will be installed at Grant and 34 at Harmon Johnson before students return from summer break.

Students and staff will feel the difference in their classrooms.    

 

Click HERE for Sac Bee story

Posted June 2014

 

 

 

The Twin Rivers Board of Trustees has approved two general contractors for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) projects at two schools this summer—Harmon Johnson Elementary and Grant Union High School.

Perryman Mechanical Inc. (PMI) will install 34 units at Harmon Johnson at a low bid of $2,250,000. Lamon Construction will install 37 units at Grant at a bid of $2,795,000.

Contractors will begin some work at Grant on May 5 that will include digging trenches and installing underground piping in areas where there are no students. Workers will not begin installing the Grant HVAC units until June 13, after school is out for the summer. Work will begin at Harmon Johnson on May 15.

The HVAC project is slated for completion by Aug. 11.Twin Rivers unveiled its aggressive plan for installing the HVAC units at an April 2 news conference. The five-month effort was launched as a campaign called "Feel the Difference: Creating a New Climate in Our Classrooms."

Click HERE to track the progress of the campaign.

 

 

 

What a day in Twin Rivers, even though all schools are closed for spring break. Today, administrators opened two bids for the installation of 34 heating, ventilation and air conditioning units (HVAC) at Harmon Johnson Elementary.

The bids for the Johnson project ranged from $2,250,000 to $2,595,000. 

The only surprise—there were no bids today (April 15) for the installation of 37 HVAC units at Grant Union High School. However, the Grant project is still expected to be completed this summer. In fact, Deputy Superintendent Bill McGuire says the selection of the contractors for both projects will go to the Board of Trustees on April 23.

The district's short timeline for the Grant project is a challenge, but doable. McGuire says 10 contractors were at Grant last week for a mandatory job walk, which is done prior to the bid process. Some indicated they are interested in the project, but need more time to prepare an accurate bid. The interested contractors now have until April 22 to submit a sealed bid.

"We did not receive any bids (on Grant) at 10 o'clock," says McGuire. "That allows us—by public contract code—to go out and negotiate with contractors who were part of the job walk. We've been on the phone today with contractors looking at the options that we have. Our staff is working really hard to move forward."

The HVAC project is slated for completion by August 11, just before the 2014-15 school year begins. Twin Rivers unveiled its aggressive plan for installing the HVAC units at both schools at an April 2 news conference. The five-month effort was launched as a campaign called "Feel the Difference: Creating a New Climate in Our Classrooms."

Click HERE for video

 

 

 

Twin Rivers Unified School District has unveiled an aggressive plan for installing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units in two schools—Grant Union High School and Harmon Johnson Elementary. The new five-month effort is being launched as a campaign called Feel the Difference: Creating a New Climate in Our Classrooms.

"We understand the community's frustration in the past with delays in getting this important project off the ground," said TRUSD Superintendent Dr. Steven Martinez. "We now have the administrative team working in close collaboration so that every phase of this installation will hit its marks and stay on schedule. We are making a commitment to our community, parents, staff and students and it's one we are determined to keep. When schools reopen at the end of summer break, our students, staff, and parents will be able to feel the difference."

The massive installation project is coordinated by a District HVAC Task Force chaired by Dr. Martinez. The team is comprised of the two school principals and representatives from facilities, maintenance, contracts, business, human resources and communications. The group is meeting twice a month to monitor progress, share details, and identify potential delays that can be averted.

Interest in bidding on the project has been strong since the first announcement went out on March 25. Approximately 20 local, regional, and statewide contractors have expressed interest to date.

"We are confident that we will have many highly qualified companies to choose from," said Bill McGuire, TRUSD's new Deputy Superintendent. "This could be a great job creator for the local community."

The bidding window closes on April 15 and a selection will be presented to the Board of Trustees on April 23.

While classes are still in session, non-intrusive work is scheduled to begin May 5 at Grant and on May 15 at Harmon Johnson Elementary School. This will include inspecting the units that have been in storage and doing site preparation such as trenching, laying pipe, electrical work, and preparing the foundations for installing the 71 HVAC units (37 at Grant and 34 at Johnson).

Both schools are more than six decades old and the district has been working hard to maintain aging HVAC units over the years. These new units are replacing worn out HVAC units that could no longer be repaired, in some cases because parts are no longer available. 

The impact of the national recession on state funding for education also took its toll on this project. The district was able to acquire the HVAC units using one funding source, but has not had adequate maintenance funding to cover the installation costs until now. The total cost of the installation is pegged at $7.6 million, with $4.2 million allocated to Grant High School and $3.4 million to Johnson Elementary. The district is using deferred maintenance funds to cover the cost of the installation.

This HVAC project is part of an overall upgrading process being implemented by the district. The two schools will also be repainted during the summer months. In addition, the facilities staff is finalizing a plan for renovations and repairs at most of the schools across the district this summer. That plan will be unveiled next month.

"Maintaining a safe, healthy learning environment in our schools is a high priority for Twin Rivers. We know that the climate in the classroom can have a real impact on the peak performance of both teachers and students," said Martinez. "The only sweat we should see on our students is when they're working hard to ace a test or complete a homework assignment, not because they're in a classroom where the air conditioning doesn't work.This is an important step in changing the overall climate in our schools."

 

Thursday June 19, 2014

 

Tuesday April 15, 2014

 

Wednesday April 2, 2014

 

Tuesday April 1, 2014