By Adam Pagnucco.
Last week, I wrote about how the PTA president of New Hampshire Estates Elementary School had testified before the school board that “Every single staff member and student is breathing in mold” at her school. I also published MCPS’s response vowing to find a solution. Now, under questioning by a school board member, a top MCPS official confirmed that the district had installed an HVAC system at the school in 2018 that had not fixed the problems. The system cost MCPS $1.9 million.
At last week’s school board Fiscal Management Committee meeting, Board of Education Member Laura Stewart brought up the problems at New Hampshire Estates ES. That followed presentation of a list of facilities projects that did not include the school. Following is a transcript of her exchange with MCPS Deputy Chief of Facilities Management Adnan Mamoon.
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Board of Education Member Laura Stewart.
BOE Member Laura Stewart: So a school became news this last week: New Hampshire Estates. I do not see on this list… I did look up to see when was the last time they were renovated, was 1988. That was actually a renovation so it was built, I believe, maybe in the 40s or 50s, I can’t remember. But they’ve, I mean… looking at the pictures that was provided, we know that has issues. And so can we add a school to the list? Especially this New Hampshire Estates, which, again, meets the 35+ year line. I don’t know how hard your line is here.
MCPS Deputy Chief of Facilities Management Adnan Mamoon: No, again, the contract we have with them is for all the facilities, and so, I mean, we were more focusing on the timing, making sure that we had enough time to review a certain number of schools before the next CIP [capital budget] cycle. We can certainly look to add New Hampshire Estates. I don’t think that would be an issue.
One of the things I wanted to point out… Again, we know the challenges with New Hampshire Estates and I’ve been there several times and we’re working closely with the schools to address the issues. And while I’m here I’m going to provide an update that, we would have given the update to the board anyway based on the testimony we’ve heard. Is that the…
There are several things that’s happening there. We have our inner air quality team visiting that school. We also have our FIT team [Facilities Improvement Team] which looks at the HVAC units. So there is some fundamental issues with the HVAC units in that building even though they were replaced in 2018 which is where the condition index doesn’t accurately reflect the challenges with the building. Because you have had newer units in the building that will actually lower your score making it look like it doesn’t fit the bill.
So… however, when the units were replaced, that didn’t address the fundamental challenge which was the circulation of fresh air inside the building. So what we have done in the process is we have engaged an engineering firm to start looking at what the solutions are. So yeah, we are working to find solutions for New Hampshire Estates as we speak. We’ll provide more details about that.
Stewart: That’s good news. Thank you. And yes, I know… I’m aware that some of these schools that are having issues actually had HVAC systems put in their schools not that long ago and yet there are still issues and so those engineering solutions, I’m sure, need to be looked at even if it’s a newer system.
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MCPS’s FY17 Educational Facilities Master Plan confirms that New Hampshire Estates received an HVAC replacement project at that time costing $1.9 million. The project is listed in the screenshot below.
In FY17, New Hampshire Estates received an HVAC replacement project costing $1.9 million.
And so MCPS has been aware of the problems at this school for a long time. It chose a $1.9 million solution that its deputy chief of facilities now admits “didn’t address the fundamental challenge” of air circulation in the building. And now it’s back at the school after its PTA president brought a batch of moldy pictures to a school board meeting.
MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor has made a huge operating budget request of the county’s elected leaders. He will get most if not all of it even if the county council passes a property tax increase to fund it. In return, he should insist that his subordinates spend the money competently – a requirement that apparently has not always applied in schools like this one.