High Point district wins grant for HVAC upgrades

The High Point Regional School District has been approved for a grant that would pay for three-quarters of upgrades to the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

The upgrades could cost $800,000 to $1 million, said Business Administrator James Minkewicz, adding that the district could use federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the rest.

The school desperately needs to update roof units that are 40 to 50 years old, he said.

“This was something that was on our Long Range Facilities Plan anyway,” said Board of Education president Wayne Dunn. “Sometimes, we’ll take the fortuitous things that come around because we certainly have our share the other way.”

Some of the building’s units have outlived their lifetime by at least 10 years, he added.

Superintendent Scott Ripley said the district also is in the early stages of exploring another grant opportunity that would allow the school to put air conditioning in some classrooms, especially upstairs.

Some of the rooms are so hot in September and June that large fans have been brought in, he said.

“We’re hopeful that we can at least begin a piecemeal process to bring in air conditioning into our classrooms upstairs by replacing each unit,” he said.