New HVAC System Coming To Orchard Middle School

SOLON, OH — Orchard Middle School is getting a new HVAC system this summer, as the Solon Schools prepare for all students to return to in-person education in 2021 and 2022.

The district awarded a $223,000 contract to Cavalry Mechanical to upgrade the school's library and offices HVAC system. Work will begin at the end of the school year and should be completed before the start of the 2021-2022 school year in August.

"This was a necessary thing that we needed to upgrade some of the ventilation systems," said Superintendent Fred Bolden during Monday's Board of Education meeting. He noted that as more students return to school buildings, "we need to make sure all our ventilation systems are up to spec. This project will move that along."

The current HVAC system is nearing the end of its life, a district official told Patch. Crews have been dedicating increasing time to maintenance of the system.

The new HVAC system will improve efficiency and effectiveness in the main office area, the library and media center and adjacent learning spaces, a district spokesperson said.

The contract to Cavalry Mechanical was approved unanimously by the Solon Board of Education during its Monday meeting.

A Solon Schools spokesperson said the district recently completed a COVID-19-influenced evaluation of all HVAC systems in the district. Here's their full statement:

We have recently completed an in-depth audit of the HVAC systems in all of our buildings. Over the past several years we have made significant investments to upgrade and improve ventilation in each of our schools to within hospital grade specifications. These improvements were done as part of our regular maintenance and upgrade plan for the district’s HVAC systems even before the onset of COVID-19. Therefore, all district HVAC systems are operating in-line with CDC recommendations for the re-opening of schools. Additionally, in accordance with CDC recommendations, the HVAC systems are running at the highest level of fresh air intake possible and all exhaust fans are on high at all times. These settings are reviewed daily and will continue to be evaluated and monitored throughout the school year.

Common design standards in schools somewhat restrict the level of air filter that can be used. The CDC recommends that schools increase central air filtration to “as high as possible without significantly diminishing design airflow.” With that in mind, the filters used in our school building units are being increased to a maximum of MERV 13. This is the highest level of filtration that our systems will allow and is considered hospital level filtration.