Last May, voters in the Farmingdale School District approved the use of $985,000 from its capital reserve fund to continue a series of capital improvements around the district. At the
Farmingdale Board of Education meeting on Jan. 14, assistant superintendent Paul Defendini updated residents on the status of the various improvement projects throughout the district, most of which are aimed at updating and upgrading the buildings and grounds to be more energy-efficient and safer for students.
Defendini noted that a great deal of the capital projects are centered around improving the cost and effectiveness of heating the district’s schools. To that end, all boilers in all buildings have been replaced, mass window replacement is currently underway, and major updates to the district’s pneumatic system are being implemented. The end result, Defendini said, will be schools that are heated better and will cost less to do so.
“By the end of the upcoming summer, all of the windows in the district will be new, all of the boilers in the district will be high-efficiency. We’re creating heat in a very economical way,” he said. “We’re also going to be gutting the uni-vents and installing new heating systems… new thermostats, new elements, blower motors. We’ll not only be able to produce the heat and be able to keep it in, but we’re producing it at a cheaper cost and managing the temperature in the individual rooms so we don’t waste any heat.”
Other energy-related work, including the installation of occupancy sensors, updated lighting fixtures, ceiling replacement and countless other initiatives should serve to enhance the “green” aspect of the district’s buildings and take a big bite out of their electricity bills while they’re at it, Defendini said.
“We’ve already done this in 26 classrooms at Saltzman East Memorial Elementary School,” Defendini said. “In addition to the improved efficiency, it already has made a very dramatic difference in the instructional environment. Having a bright, clean, well-lit space does have an impact on the academic environment, so we’re proud to have started this project.”
According to Defendini, the total project timeline for improving district-wide energy performance is approximately 18 months, with additional work to be phased in during the spring and summer of 2015. He added that these upgrades were coming with no cost to the taxpayers.
“It’s an amazing concept… you save money as a result of doing energy work,” he said. “The cost of the project you’re paying for is actually paid for by the energy saving.”
Defendini also covered new security measures undertaken by the district and the steps taken at all Farmingdale schools to ensure the well-being of both students and teachers, including the installation of security cameras, front building entrance sign-in and buzz-in systems, panic alarms, and fencing replacement, among other projects.
“We’ve had a strong focus the last couple of years on safety-related projects,” he said.
