All boiler replacement projects taking place across the 17 schools in Cherry Hill are on schedule, according to assistant superintendent James Devereaux.
The $6.69 million capital project includes the replacement of 37 boilers and new temperature controls in each building. It has been the main focus for the school district this summer. The first group of schools, Carusi Middle School, Rosa International Middle School and Mann Elementary School, is scheduled to be completed by July 29. The projects across the entire district will be finished no later Oct. 7, prior to the start of the heating season.
“We’re very pleased to report things are moving on well,” Superintendent Maureen Reusche said at last week’s Board of Education meeting.
A big part of the project included asbestos removal in each school’s boiler room. The removal took place during breaks in the 2013–14 school year or the early summer. The removal had to be done while there were no people in the building, according to Devereaux.
“We are asbestos-free in all of the district’s buildings now,” he said.
Devereaux showed the board and parents in attendance at the board meeting pictures of the new boilers, saying the new system will monitor the temperature throughout each building and adjusting the energy usage accordingly. This will allow the district to cut energy costs.
The project is being paid for through an $8.9 million total lease purchase. The district was able to offset a little more than $3.6 million of the cost through grants.
“We still think we’ll be able to pay the project off in three years,” Devereaux said.
