By Sarah Opdahl
On Tuesday, March 12, New Fairfield’s Permanent Building Committee (PBC) met to discuss the work that is occurring in the wake of the two new school buildings. Following the receipt of a teachers’ union grievance, work is underway to address ongoing and new issues, including lingering problems with the lack of mercaptan smell in the propane and the noisy fume hoods.
Colliers International’s Mr. Mark Schweitzer was happy to report that a consultant will be engaged to ideally bring an end to the question of whether there is a presence of mercaptan smell at a high enough level in the new high school building. The State Fire Marshal recently recommended completing an independent air sampling test of the odor and level of mercaptan in the propane and referred Schweitzer to the consultant. Kaiser Consulting will provide a written report on the conformance level of mercaptan, comparing it to what is required by federal regulations.
There was discussion about the possibility of switching the exhaust hoods in the science rooms, which are noisier than staff would prefer, from Building Management System control to manual control, which would allow teachers to turn them off when they are not in use.
The work to finish the Middle School following the old High School’s demolition continues, with the roof installation nearly complete. Sheetrock is going in during the coming weeks, the mason will be back on site, concrete tradesmen will finish work near the elevator, and the HVAC sub contractor will return once the roof is finalized. Outdoors, there continue to be unsuitable soils found in the area under what was the High School. This space will soon become a parking lot for the Middle School teachers. It was noted that the school has requested access to the baseball and softball field for maintenance and for emergency purposes. O&G’s Mr. Joe Vetro noted, “we need to provide access for that.”
Plans are proceeding for the “Consolidated School demolition, abatement, and site leveling”, JCJ Architecture’s Ms. Christine O’Hare said. She noted that changes are typically suggested when plans are reviewed by the State.
Minor furniture replacements remain for the High School and the school is waiting on delivery of additional broadcasting equipment, O’Hare shared. There are meetings and training sessions planned to provide further information to staff on the various types and uses of audiovisual equipment.
The next Permanent Building Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26, 7:30 p.m.