Hartland school officials give update on high school cooler

September 22, 2021

By Mike Kruzman / [email protected]

Hartland School officials are considering options to continue cooling the high school until repairs to their air conditioning system are completed.

At the end of last month, students at Hartland High School were granted extra time off when the cooler broke, resulting in high temperatures throughout the building, but especially on the upper floors. Superintendent Chuck Hughes, at Monday’s Board of Education meeting, said the malfunction was unexpected because the cooler had been inspected over the summer and received a certificate of good health. It was predicted it would be good for another 8-10 years, but instead it didn’t hit September. A major blowout has occurred on the control panel in which parts to repair it are not available. The parts for this had to be redesigned, rebuilt and rewired for it.

The school district rented a mega cooler to keep the temperature down. With one week remaining on this contract, school officials have several options. If the repairs are not completed on time, they could continue to rent, weekly or monthly. They could also consider switching from the rented 500-ton cooler to a 240-ton cooler, if fall temperatures seem willing to cooperate.

When the permanent system is ready to go, the district will reinstall it as soon as possible, but Hughes said the timing is out of their control.

No action was taken by the Board of Education during the meeting.