School board approves plan for indoor pool upgrades

Tecumseh Public School board members unanimously approved a request to seek bids for LED lighting and for a pool cooling system after hearing the monthly facilities and grounds report from Tecumseh Public Schools (TPS) Director of Facilities Michael Smith. In the report, Smith shared with the board a 10-year capital plan, which incorporates the findings from the TMP Facilities Assessment completed earlier this year as well as other suggested future projects. The capital plan was broken down for each school and then even further with specific projects. Smith said that any heating and cooling needs can be pushed out to the second five years as major breakdowns ceased about four to five months ago. He also suggested adding a “Safety” category to the plan, as it should be “a number one priority in this school,” he said. “I feel like it’s a comprehensive 10-year plan that is easy to follow and it’s very understandable,” said TPS Supt. Kelly Coffin. “It’s a start,” said Smith. “We’ll build on that as we go through the months and years as we go through the school system.”One major project that Smith presented was replacing the lighting in the schools with LED (light-emitting diodes). “You don’t have to touch them for 10 years, at least,” Smith said, adding that no light bulbs or ballasts would need replaced because labor and materials are under warranty and that oftentimes LED lights can last 15 to 20 years.Estimated savings after changing to LED lighting at Tecumseh Middle School (TMS) and Tecumseh High School (THS) is $1.8 million. “That’s a huge amount of money we’re saving,” said Mike. Savings not only come from electricity and maintenance cost savings, but rebates as well from the electric company. Smith said changing the lighting at the middle school and high school would have the biggest impact and there are plans to replace lighting at the elementary schools as well. Smith also presented the board with pool upgrade that would help maintain pool temperatures. “We found out that the Dectron System can’t keep up with the heat and humidity once we get into late May, early June,” Smith said. The Dectron System maintains the pool’s temperature, which is supposed to be 78-82 degrees; however, in late May to early June, the increased temperatures drive water temperatures up to 84-90 degrees, according to Smith’s report. The warm water then heats the air, increasing air temperature and making it “extremely difficult to maintain a consistent pool environment,” according to Smith. The after cooler system would kick on, cycle the water, and cool it from 80 to 60 degrees to help maintain temperature. The system would operate automatically when water temperatures began to rise. This would save the school from having to back flush the water to cool it and incur city water and sewer charges for the thousands of gallons of water. “It’s about the cheapest way I can think of to get us by, keep up the pool water to the temperatures they need, and make it work,” said Smith. “What this will do is buy us time basically.” The estimated cost of the after cooler is $65,000 with $800,000 to $1 million needed to “get the pool where it needs to be.” Smith said he is working on a long-term plan of the pool. In other business, the board: • Approved 2015-2016 building and school of choice forms• Accepted a $1,250 gift from the Shopko Foundation for the THS sculpture garden • Honored TMS and THS choirs and solo and ensemble students • Heard the monthly finance report from Judy Pfund