Construction is nothing new for residents, students, and faculty of Bethel Park. A few years ago, Memorial Elementary built a side addition to their school in an attempt to oust the quickly deteriorating modular styled addition that was provided for the once quickly expanding population. Similarly, the construction of the new High School, parking lots, and playing fields resonated in students’ heads, as they walked to classes on campus and heard the clinging and clanging of power tools; it was a culture shock for students, as they adapted to the new environment.
However, students at Neil Armstrong Middle School won’t really have to adapt.
“I’m not sure I would term the work to be done at Neil Armstrong as construction as much as I would renovations,” said Director of Public Relations Vicki Flotta. “The District is planning to upgrade the HVAC system equipment and wiring throughout the school.”
An HVAC heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is a critical piece of equipment in any large building, as it monitors the temperature and humidity in an attempt to provide a comfortable working environment.
The project is well overdue. Fifth grade teacher, Mr. Yost said, “Over the last 15 years, I have had numerous repairs and replacements to an HVA unit above my ceiling, so yes, I would say that this project is definitely due.”
The HVAC system at NAMS frequently glitches, as the HVAC system has never been upgraded since the construction of the school. There won’t be a little tuneup or makeover to the HVAC but rather a complete upgrade. Teachers will have to pack-up their belongings for the summer and tuck them away somewhere due to the massive amount of debris that will fall. Some rooms will have to be completely emptied and others boxed up for protection purposes.
In addition to the HVAC installation, the project will encompass “replacing the fire alarm wiring, speaker wiring, fiber optic writing to data closets and installing power/data drops for the ceiling-mounted projectors,” Vicki Flotta said. “Ceiling and lighting will be replaced in areas where lighting is not required to be disturbed due to the mechanical work. New carpeting will be installed in areas where needed.”
Some may be scrunching their eyebrows by now and wondering how the District is going to be paying for this since they just unloaded bucket-fulls of cash into the new High School.
“The bids for the project came in at $4 million, which will be paid for by money that was not used for the construction of the new Bethel Park High School,” Vicki Flotta said. “The Hayes Design Group is serving as the architect for the project and Massaro Construction Management Services will serve as the Project Manager.”
The project will take place over the summer to avoid any disruption with valuable class time.
