By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 finished several large infrastructure projects this summer.
The district completed a $782,000 HVAC project at Hays High School.
The work added rooftop units for the main gym, auxiliary gym and wrestling room. Controls for other parts of the high school also were completed.
This is the first phase of a multiphase project to improve the HVAC systems at high school. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $4 million to $5 million. The gyms were chosen as the first phase, because they are used the most during the summer.
Also at the high school, a new section of concrete was laid in the parking lot. The district replaces concrete as it has money available in its capital improvement budget.
The district also replaced a water main at the high school. A main break temporarily closed the high school last spring.
A $42,000 project was completed to install LED lighting at Roosevelt Elementary School. The district hopes to save on electricity costs and replacement bulbs by going to longer-lasting LED fixtures.
The district also continues to work on security upgrades.
Some exterior locks were upgraded this summer.
The district received $57,700 from the state toward a $250,000 project to upgrade all of the interior locks in the district. That work will be done this fall.
The district received parts to complete the audio portion of its new buzz-in system on Monday. The entrances to all USD 489 schools will now be locked during school hours. Visitors will need to ring a doorbell at the school entrance. They will be able to talk to personnel in the office, who can buzz them into the building.
The district hopes the buzz-in system upgrades will be paid for through a USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excellence fundraiser this fall.
See related story: Hays USD 489 works with foundation to install buzz-in security systems
“I think just about everything that was planned was completed,” Superintendent John Thissen said. “We were very pleased with the jobs that were done.
One exception is the playground project at Wilson Elementary School. The school is still waiting on new playground equipment to arrive.
The school received a $5,000 from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation for the project. The total cost of the equipment will be about $78,000. The district paid for the playground surfacing, and the Wilson Home and School Association has been saving for years toward the replacement of the aging equipment and will cover the rest of the cost.
Thissen said he thought the equipment would be shipped in the next several weeks. Once the equipment arrives, the turnaround to install it should be fairly short, he said.