https://youtu.be/i-FJbIMVD2s
Video Courtesy of USD 489 News
By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post
During Monday night’s Hays USD 489 Board of Education meeting, the board took a look at software designed to better record the life expectancy of the buildings’ systems throughout the district, as well and the architects and engineers that go with the project.
For several years, the district has used the same company to provide help with various district needs such as heating, air and plumbing, and Hays USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen noted the board and administration already have heard a presentation from them.
“I’m still in the same mode, whether its this particular system to use or a different one,” Thissen said.
Hays USD 489 has eight buildings within its district, and the panel of board members all agreed that finding a software to keep better records of the aging systems is the appropriate direction to go in order to keep the buildings in the best possible condition.
“This is much more sophisticated,” board member Sarah Rankin said.
Thissen said the district needs to be thinking long-term when it comes to facilities.
“When I say long-term I mean a decade, two decades or three decades,” he said.
The software is ideal according to Rankin, who said during Monday night’s meeting she was unaware of HVAC system issues at Hays High School.
“I did not realize how desperate the high school was,” she said.
HHS is said to need a “massive job,” according to Thissen, and is expected to be the next big project.
“It’s more than just replacing the outside units. It’s totally going in and redoing everything, ” Thissen said.
Hays High is the newest building in the district and last year was identified as its biggest issue.
“It would have to be started pretty soon here,” Thissen said, noting work could begin in the summer of 2017.
The software would be more cost-efficient for the district, as part of the data would show the district how to conserve energy and when to plan repair schedules. An exact cost of the software was is not available until additional presentations are made to the board.
“The pure savings per month from a different system was pretty substantial,” board President Lance Bickle said.
The district is still paying on loans from the new HVAC system that went into the Hays Middle School, so the data provided by the software would give the district a better idea of the numbers and how much they would actually spend from a year-to-year basis — creating a better budgeting situation.
Question were raised about the plan that was presented last June in regard to the bond election and if this would be a part of the new bond. Thissen made it clear to the board that this is not a part of another potential bond election and that it needs to be its own “path.”
“This plan has nothing to do with the bond elections,” Thissen said. “This is dealing with a capital outlay plan and making sure the systems around the district are kept in the absolute best possible condition they can be.”
In other business, the board took a look at a Thomas More Prep-Marian/O’Loughlin traffic study.
Last week, Thissen received a invitation for the study to be revisited to see what progress can be made. USD 489 parents now use a portion of Victory Drive for pickup and drop-off purposes.
“The invitation was really very pleasant,” Thissen said.
Board member Josh Waddell joined Thissen at the meeting as representatives of USD 489.
Joining Thissen and Waddell were two representatives from the Hays Police Department, two TMP representatives, two engineers and a representative of the city of Hays.
No actual report was actually given at the meeting last week, according Thissen. That report is expected to be ready in six to eight weeks, and it will be the first of multiple reports the board will see.
“The first report will just be the preliminary report,” Thissen said. “The finalized report will come after.”