Construction Project At ECHS Delayed Due To Sediment Discovered in HVAC Pipes: Possible Impact On School Start

Photo of a section of HVAC pipe full of sediment that must be removed.

Darren Doyle, story:
Just when things were running smoothly with a major remodeling project at Edmonson County High School, the discovery of some nasty sediment and sludge in the school's existing HVAC pipes is causing extra work and a delay; one that could even possibly hinder the start of school for the 22-23 school year.

According to Superintendent of Edmonson Schools Brian Alexander, during the demolition process of the HVAC piping to install new energy efficient units at Edmonson County High School and Middle School, crews onsite found deposits of stone, sand, and clay in isolated portions of the loop system that supplies cooling for the entire facility at Edmonson County Middle School and Edmonson County High School.

"We have sediment in these pipes that our construction experts claim is as bad as they've ever seen," said Supt. Alexander. "It's going to have to be corrected for sure."

Mr. Alexander said the school board and their contractors have consulted with pipe flushing specialists in determining the best way to correct the problem.

"It is critical that this issue is addressed to ensure our entire system works properly from this time forward," he added. "It's unanimously believed that if the deposits of sediment aren't flushed or removed it will jeopardize the new equipment due to poor circulation and cause problems for the Middle School and High School for years to come.   This will require some of these pipes to be removed and replaced."

Alexander said the major setback is no one's fault, but must be addressed and corrected. 

"This points to an issue that originated in a place that is completely isolated and not in an area that maintenance or anyone else could get to see exactly what was happening. And no work whatsoever had taken place there during this project. This came to our attention on Friday, July, 2.   This issue is not a result of the Guaranteed Energy Savings Project, however it was found during this project. CMTA, our construction manager, and  R&R, the company installing new equipment, and our staff are in constant communication to remedy this issue." 

Alexander wanted to be very clear that there is no fault to any contractor or school maintenance personnel.

"It's simply an issue that we have found that must be fixed.  We want the system to work correctly and efficiently in the future, and not to have projects in years to come. An issue such as this takes time to fix correctly.  And one of my goals is to remain as transparent as possible.  We have a problem here that impacts this school.  But we are going to fix it. "

Mr. Alexander also said that more information will be made available next week as to the possible impact to school opening. The first day of school in Edmonson County is currently scheduled to be Wednesday, August 10, 2022.