QPS continues to be plagued by HVAC issues

QUINCY — Quincy School Board member Richard McNay said the school district needs to resolve the HVAC issues that have affected nearly all of its school buildings.

McNay, who heads the Building and Grounds Committee, gave a report to the School Board at Wednesday’s meeting which discussed problems with the elementary buildings over the last few days as sub-zero temperatures hit the region.

Buildings had temperatures down into the low 50’s inside as compressors and boards went out failed. That led to maintenance crews climbing atop the buildings to work on units in the freezing conditions to attempt to restore heat to the buildings.

While they are working now, the systems, made by Diakin, have had issues since they were installed with the first new elementary buildings in 2017.

The district already has to replace a Daikin HVAC unit at Quincy High School’s E-Building that was installed along with the rest of a new HVAC system on the QHS campus in 2010 and 2011. McNay, who was first elected to the School Board in 2013, said the district had committed to the HVAC units during the design phase of the new K-5 buildings and the Building and Grounds Committee was assured the newer Daikin units that were going into those had been significantly improved.

McNay acknowledged the systems have not lived up to expectations. McNay said the new Central Services building, which should be completed by the end of May, will not have a Daikin HVAC unit.

The district is now advertising bids to replace the E-Building unit as they will begin replacing those systems as they are needed. They hope to have bids back in about a month.

Funding for the project will come from to $7.2 million in school fire prevention and safety bonds that the board approved to issue at the meeting.

The board also adopted the QPS 2024-25 calendar for Quincy Public Schools that calls for classes to start Aug. 14 and end on May 21. Teachers will report on Aug. 12.

Christmas break will be more than two weeks, running from Dec. 23 to Jan. 7. Teachers will have an in-service day on Jan. 6.

In other action, board members:

• Heard a report from Quincy Area Vocational and Technical Center Director Evie Morrison about the classes offered through the programs. QHS and 10 other high schools in Adams and Pike Counties have sent nearly 1,000 students to the QAVTC this year.
• Approved a bid from Central States for 20 buses with annual lease payments of nearly $1.2 million spread over four years.
• Accepted the lowest of two bids, $667,226 from Kohl Wholesale, for food and non-food items to be used the remainder of the school year.