Wayland School Ventilation Upgrades Could Exceed $1M

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland has completed an assessment of the ventilation systems at town schools in anticipation of reopening the buildings in October — and the cost to upgrade and operate systems amid coronavirus could exceed $1 million, according to estimates.

TBA Architects and Norian Siani Engineering on Tuesday released a nearly 200-page report on school spaces, detailing how many students can fit into each room, and what upgrades HVAC systems may need at individual schools.

The report follows a Saturday memo by Superintendent Arthur Unobskey, where he said that Wayland would likely use federal CARES Act funds to pay for HVAC upgrades. The district will have to spend an additional $160,000 this school year in increased utility costs to run the ventilation systems — and the costs only go up from there.

Maintenance during the school year could run $260,000, plus an estimated $250,000 to clean all the HVAC systems and upgrade them to deal with an airborne virus. The district might also have to buy ultra-violet filtration systems, running as much as $150,000. There are also special air quality standards for nurses stations and coronavirus isolation rooms. Those upgrades could cost $50,000.

If Wayland uses more stringent guidelines set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the district could spend another $350,000.

The Wayland School Committee has voted to begin the school year on Sept. 14 under a remote model for a majority of students, with a transition to hybrid learning by Oct. 19.

Wayland's ventilation upgrades may begin as soon as this week, according to Unobskey's memo, and may last into the school year.