Parents, students and community members can rejoice; the middle school and high school gyms have air conditioning.

The project was first proposed in August, 2022 with priority placed on having air conditioning installed at the high school for 2023’s graduating class. That deadline was met and the entire project was completed on Jan. 1.

The addition of air conditioning to the middle school gymnasium and both high school gymnasiums was done with a combination of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III (ESSER) funds and major maintenance funds, Support Services Coordinator Rob McCray said during the March 11 school board meeting. 

The school board voted to approve the substantial completion of the project during that meeting.

ESSER III funding was used to add the air conditioning while major maintenance funding, which must be used on existing equipment, was used to update the controls at Powell High School. The new controls all have their own IP addresses and offer better control, McCray said.

The HVAC settings can be controlled from the administration building which helps with utility bills and management of buildings and rooms based on usage and preference.

This spring when the weather is warmer, installer Rawhide Mechanical will return to confirm the new systems are working properly.

— By Braden Schiller