HVAC PROJECT
Advanced Engineering Systems (AES) presented preliminary plans and recommendations at the Bellevue School Board meeting on October 9^th for the planned HVAC renovation and upgrade at Bellevue East. After analysis of the building, AES made a recommendation to install a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system in the existing building to replace the existing steam boiler heating and central chiller unit cooling systems currently found within the building. Their recommendation was proposed after reviewing five different HVAC options for the building which took into consideration initial cost, annual maintenance costs, energy efficiency, constructability capabilities while trying to keep the existing school operational, as well as overall life cycle costing based on a 50 year operation. Based on these factors, the proposed VRF system scored the best overall which resulted in the recommendation. Anticipated construction costs for the project will likely exceed what has been initially budgeted for the project, but savings on other projects as well as a higher premium in proceeds from the sale of last round of bond purchases does provide additional dollars that can be applied for the project. The Board voted to direct AES to proceed with the continuation of the design and to move forward to prepare construction bid documents for the proposed work. It is anticipated that the project will be sent out to prospective bidders in late January or early February in hopes of starting construction in late Spring of 2018.