New cooler system for pool to regulate water temperatures

The Tecumseh Community Pool will be receiving a new after cooler system after the Tecumseh Public Schools (TPS) Board unanimously voted to purchase the equipment at the Tuesday meeting. The system will cost $63,210 from JC Mechanical Services Inc. in Tecumseh. In March, TPS Director of Facilities Michael Smith said the current Dectron System cannot maintain the pool’s temperature of 78-82 degrees during the summer months. In late May to early June, the increased air temperatures drive water temperatures up to 84-90 degrees, which then heats the air and makes it difficult to maintain a consistent pool environment, Smith said in March. The after cool unit approved for installation is designed to cool 20 gallons of water per minute of 100-degree water to 80 degrees The bid includes all mechanical and electrical requirements necessary for installation and operation. Board member Roger Hart asked if the pool area could be air conditioned to help mitigate the warm summer temperatures. Smith said air conditioning the pool is in the long-term plans and added the after cooler system is more of a bandage solution in the short term. Once ordered, it should take four to six weeks to receive and install, said Smith. An $88,500 bid from Marbel Mechanical LLC, Birmingham, Mich., was also received.Smith also discussed replacing interior and exterior lighting at Tecumseh’s middle and high schools with LED (light-emitting diodes). Smith discussed this project with the board back in March. One bid was received for both schools from Brint Electric Inc. based in Toledo, Ohio. The high school project was estimated at $690,000 while the middle school would cost $450,000. Smith recommended Tuesday evening the board only pursue replacing the lighting at the high school, as there are other facility projects pertaining to campus security he would like to complete first throughout the district, such as fixing the public address system and time clocks at the elementary schools and installing a card access system at all schools. “We’re looking at only doing the high school this year,” said Smith. “And the reasons behind that is because of several key things in the schools we need to address.”Smith said he spoke with other electric companies who estimated the middle and high school project should cost a combined $1-$1.5 million. “I am disappointed with only one bid,” said board member and president Edward Tritt. Smith said 47 different companies looked at the project on Michigan’s website where the project was posted for two weeks. “I am comfortable with a local business,” said board member Greg Johnson. With an estimated operational and maintenance cost savings of $123,000 a year, the school would also receive $57,500 in rebates for the high school. Brint Electric Inc. has been in business for over 40 years, according to Smith, and with the project will include a 10-year warranty on labor and materials. Brit Electric Inc. will also recycle the old lighting while old fixtures would be used at other schools in the district or recycled by the school itself for money to put back into the budget. The company has done local work, including the field house and classrooms at Siena Heights University. Smith said by the end of the summer at least the interior of the high school would be completed and exterior lighting replacements would happen after. The project does not include replacing the lighting at the football stadium though does include the lighting at the concession stand. “I didn’t want to go through this fast and make mistakes,” said Smith. “So, we’re taking our time.” At the Tuesday meeting, the board heard from Judy Pfund, Director of Business Services at Tecumseh, about the 2015-2016 budget assumptions. Pfund said it is difficult to complete the school’s budget as the State of Michigan has yet to decide its budget for the state’s schools. She added she is budgeting conservatively until the state makes its decision.One consideration brought before the board was the possibility of eliminating pay-to-play fees for sports. Seventy-four thousand dollars is brought in through pay-to-play fees from the high school and middle school. Currently, the pay-to-play fee is $165 for up to three sports.“I think it’s more of a discussion by the board and probably more philosophical than financial,” said TPS Supt. Kelly Coffin. The possibility of eliminating pay-to-play fees for the 2015-2016 budget came as a follow-up from committee meetings on the issue, Coffin added. “I think it would do us a world of good to get rid of the fees,” said Hart. “Fifty thousand dollars [from high school pay-to-play fees] is a significant amount of money. When you look at marketing the district in the world in which we live today, it’s one of the things we can market saying athletic participation is free. I would certainly be in favor of getting rid of the fees.” There is a cap on how much one family pays to have their student or students participate in sports and the school provides assistance to those who can’t afford to pay. “I don’t care if it markets or not. To me free participation is something the students should have,” Rice said. “If we’re offering something as a school system then we must feel it has value for the student. If it has value for the student, then the students shouldn’t have to pay over and above to participate in that. To me that’s part of our offering for students. When it comes to the kids and what they and their parents have to pay, I am just uncomfortable having that fee there.” Compared to other schools, Saline’s pay-to-play fee is $325. Adrian has no fee, according to several TPS board members. “Sports always has the upper hand,” said Johnson. “You don’t have the same thing with arts. Athletics is a big part of our budget. We spend a substantial amount of money on athletics. We don’t spend that same amount of money on other things. When I look at the size of the budget and how much athletics sucks up — it’s a lot.”Tritt suggested this was not a decision that had to be made hastily, considering how fluid the budget can be throughout the year. He suggested the pay-to-play fee schedule could be restructured, lowered or eliminated at a later date. “I think it’s a consideration,” said board member Debbie Johnson-Burgess. “We should at least have the option to consider it.” Board member Steven Linn asked if the fee was removed and participation increased, can the budget support that increase?“I don’t think it needs to be an emotional decision,” Linn added. “It should be based on facts and data. I think it’s worth a serious look.”The board instructed Coffin and Pfund to look at how much the fees cover in athletics and bring that information back to the board. In other business, the board: • Honored the Kiwanis Club of Tecumseh• Approved the 2015-2016 Lenawee Intermediate School District budget resolution• Discussed the one-year extensions of the 2015-2016 Food Service Contract with ARAMARK

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