(8/27) Classes will be starting a little later this year for Fairfield Area School District (FASD) as the district quickly finishes up the HVAC project that has been in the works all summer long. Students will arrive back to school on September 3, while some teachers arrived on August 20 to begin preparation for the upcoming school year.

The 10.3 million project includes an upgrade to the current HVAC system that has lived beyond its life cycle. The project came to a head last summer when a few weeks before school was to begin a mold outbreak was discovered. At the time the district cleaned the ventilation system, carpets, ceilings, curtains etc. and approximately 300 pieces of furniture ruined by mold were replaced. As part of the remediation contract dehumidifier equipment was rented and ran until the buildings were switched over to the heating system. The project cost an excess of 1.5 million.

Mike Rader from Barton Associates, an engineering firm engaged by the district, reviewed and recommended changes to the district’s mechanicals including the demolition of much of the existing systems in both the elementary and middle/high school buildings, replacing them with high efficiency equipment that has the capacity to dehumidify. Existing lighting will also be replaced with efficient LED lighting, promised to be more cost effective in the long run. Any existing equipment recently installed and updated will be preserved wherever possible. Dennis Rumsey, a representative from Trane (the heating and cooling company providing new equipment) noted that the new system will provide 100% dehumidification, while being the least obstructive option educationally, and the best option regarding cost and energy efficiency.

During the August 12 School Board meeting, Howie Kessel, the district’s Director of Buildings and Grounds updated the board on the project. The project did see some minor setbacks including delivery delays, manpower and mis-delivery of equipment, but Kessel noted that the project manager from Trane kept things moving and kept the project on schedule. All HVAC units are in place at both buildings but Kessel noted that some storage containers will remain on the property for the remainder of the year to store additional equipment. Middle School teachers and most of the High School teachers came back on August 20 while Elementary School teachers started back the week of the 26. The last two weeks were a bit of a push to get everything cleaned up and ready for the start of school, but ease of transition was promised.

In other school-related news, the school board approved a "fair share classroom," a shared agreement between Lincoln Intermediate Unit (LIU) and the FASD. A fair share classroom is a classroom allocated for children with special needs and/or learning disabilities such as autism, hearing and visually impaired etc. The classroom as well as some supplies, including desks and computers, will be provided by the school district while LIU will supply the teachers and aides. The district currently has six students who require this type of classroom, two of which the district has been bussing to other schools that offer this type of program.

This specialized classroom for kids with autism will incorporate both Fairfield’s curriculum plus curriculum geared towards their special needs. Typically these classrooms provide emotional support, intensive learning support, psychologists and therapists, all supplied by LIU. A representative from LIU noted that these kids will not be segregated from the rest of the school. Although they will have their own classroom, they will also share recess and lunch with the rest of the student body and may even share some classes such as art or music.

"Having a classroom like this at your local school is so important," noted one Board member. All members seemed on board and voted unanimously to approve this program. As part of the agreement, the district is committed to this program for three years.