By Sarah Opdahl

At the Tuesday, May 28 New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee (PBC) meeting, Colliers International’s representatives explained, following a series of consultant visits, the next step on the continuing propane issue is to essentially empty the underground storage tanks of propane and then refill them with propane and a double dose of mercaptan. Mr. Mark Schweitzer said that they will then, “run the double dose through the building and… they are going to give us a protocol on how much we need to burn, how much we need to run this, so we don’t just have a stagnant double dose.” He went on to say, “They want us to run [the system] over the summer.” Mr. Scott Pellman pointed out that the testing showed no defects with the tanks, so the recommendation is going to be to use the above process to get the pipes to “pickle.” When asked, he confirmed that the underground tanks will be used this summer, not the temporary tanks that were in use at the school since December. Schweitzer explained that the propane supplier will buy back the propane that they evacua te from the tanks.

O&G’s Mr. Joe Vetro noted that there was an in-depth review of all gas piping. He explained, they looked for “bellies” and “did not find anything.” He said, “The pipes were clean. There was a little bit of debris in a couple of the traps…a very small amount.”

Colliers staff and school officials will soon meet with New Fairfield’s new fire marshal, Mr. Christopher Alward. The high school’s propane mercaptan smell issue will likely dominate the conversation, but they will also discuss the ongoing noise issues with the exhaust hoods in the science classrooms. New to the fume hoods is the manual control for teachers to turn off and on when the air exchange is needed, which meets the minimum code level.

PBC members were  updated on the parking lot behind the Middle School, which is where the faculty will park in the fall. Vetro reported that the topsoil was laid and curbing and sidewalks were placed around the site. There is an open space off the parking lot under the school that houses a large tank and will possibly serve as storage. It will soon be fitted with a coiling door.  The internal shore up of the Middle School is nearly finished, with sheet rock in place and final painting underway. While there was an intention to retain the ceiling that was in the corridor, it was recently damaged by the electrician. New ceiling tiles will be placed and light fixtures will follow. Work is also being completed to add a unit heater to the middle school girl’s pool locker room.

JCJ Architecture’s Ms. Christine O’Hare explained four items remain on the punch list for the high school, including damaged furniture and “some wire management issues.” AV training is occurring to prepare for an indoor graduation ceremony, in case of inclement weather. It was noted that the Consolidated School demolition is drawing near, with bids due in June.

PBC members recently completed their inspection of Town-owned properties. There are a few missing pieces of data that will be entered into a comprehensive report and it will be sent to First Selectman Ms. Melissa Lindsey as soon as it is complete. The nex t New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m.