| 109 T T Russell Fredric School’s remedial work nearing completion The school is currently having a major HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) upgrade, Southland Boys’ High School COMMUNITY Southland Boys’ High School is nearing the end of a $5.5 million, 10-year capital works programme, which focused on much-needed remedial work. The Heritage New Zealand category 2 state school was established in 1881, and relocated to its present site in Herbert Street in 1926. It includes 52 individual classrooms, two gymnasiums, a hall, a pavilion and a museum. In 1991, the main red-brick building fronting Herbert St was demolished and rebuilt, but the full historic façade was secured and preserved. Rector, Ray Laurenson says the school is currently having a major HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) upgrade, which will be a game changer, especially for its classrooms. The project also includes hallways, offices and the main meeting hall, which comprises the largest portion of the contract. “We’ve had major issues with the building. It has no air flow, it’s very hot and stuffy, or very cold, depending on the season,” Ray says. Work started in March, and is contracted to Level Electrical & Air Conditioning, Gore, and involves the installation of five Daikin VRV (variable refrigerant volume) systems, new internal ducting, heat exchangers, heating coils, and the extension of an existing building- management system. Costing approximately $2 million, the sixmonth project is the final stage of the 10-year capital works plan and will provide ventilation to the second and third floors of each block. “The ventilation system is being fitted into the roof cavities between floor two and three and it will generate the ability to move air within a building that has no natural air flow. They will do internal scaffolding, and then they’ve got to build huge walkways through the roof spaces to mount the new systems,” Ray explains. The HVAC installation follows the stage 1 replacement of the school’s tiled roof with similar- looking composite tiles. “For a year-and-a-half over 2023 and 2024 we focused on the roof, which meets historic [Heritage New Zealand] standards.” Although essential, projects such as these highlight the challenges state schools face with their budgets, as the new roof and the HVAC system do not add to the school’s key resourcing or education enhancements, Ray says. “We spend a huge amount of money to maintain the things we have, which of course means we don’t have the ability to add or innovate because we spend what we’ve got largely on rooms.” The budget for the school’s 10-year plans is outside of its annual operational budget, with planning for the next 10 years currently “at point zero” while needs and priorities are assessed. Ray is hoping that instead of having to undertake remediation, the plan for the next decade will focus on modernising ageing areas. Southland Boys High School has a roll of 1110 which, due to consistent growth during the past four years, is at capacity. “We are well looked after by our community, well represented by our students and well led by the staff. Honestly, I couldn’t sum it up any better than that.” 03 208 0441 Gore@levelelectrical .nz Email - Gore@levelelectrical.nz Phone - 03 2080441 Website - https://levelnz.nz/electrician-gore/ Southland’s Heating, Ventilation , Air Conditioning & Electrical Experts HVAC Design & Installation Building management system’s Servicing & Maintenance Project Management Electrical contracting Hot water heat pumps Cost effective solutions IQP & PSA Registered Design & build’s
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