New Vinson-Owen to Have Limited Air-Conditioning

The School Committee knew it was going to be a difficult decision. And while the members were split on what areas to the final decision was to limit the spaces that will be air-conditioned.

School Committee member, Sarah Swiger put forth a motion that was passed unanimously. It stated that the new Vinson-Owen school will have air-conditioning in all the core areas – nurses office, main office, guidance and the administrative offices – as well as the media center (library, computer lab), the maintenance room that houses most of the mechanical workings of the school and up to four classrooms. What classrooms and whether or not they will be special-ed was not decided.

Last night's debate began when members of the public spoke out in support of air-conditioning the whole school.

"If this committee is truly concerned about the student's education in the classroom then you have no choice but to vote for air-conditioning the whole school," said Winchester resident and parent of a Vinson-Owen student, Donna Ashton. "If it's a matter of cost then that operational and constructional cost hasn't been presented. It's a detriment to the school if air-conditioning is not put in."

School Committee member Michael Schindelman first suggest an alternate motion that failed. Schindelman's original motion had included the cafeteria as one of the spaces that would be air-conditioned, but his motion was voted down 3-2, with Schindelman and Chris Nixon in favor of including the cafeteria.

"It's a unique plan," said Nixon of the failed motion. "If the cafeteria is air-conditioned it makes it easier not to air-condition the classrooms. It's not always in use and there would be at least one space where you could send the kids on those hot days."

However, the town's Energy Conservation Coordinator, Susan McPhee said that putting air-conditioning in the cafeteria wouldn't work well. She mentioned that the space is south-facing with a lot of windows, so that's going to be a difficult place to keep cool.

She suggested using the gymnasium as the alternate location for children to go because the ceilings would be higher, allowing the heat to rise and it will be built into the hill creating a natural cooling effect anyway.

But residents were also concerned with how this new school would compete with neighboring towns, as well as the projected cost of running air-conditioning throughout the whole school. According to McPhee, it could cost around $50,000 a year. Nixon did mention that since Vinson-Owen is a newer school that cost could be lower, to around $30 or $40,000.

"Winchester is a town that's always interested in how it competes with other towns," Ashton said. "We're concerned about our property values and what our homes are worth. Air-conditioning is more conducive to a better learning environment."

"I understand we need to be efficient with our money, especially since we have to get an override to do this," Schindelman said. "But if we have air-conditioning and that allows us to keep one extra child in our district it would be worth it because to transport them would cost $50 – $60,000."

Schindelman also pointed out that if the School Committee had decided to put air-conditioning in now, the Massachusetts School Building Association (MSBA) would reimburse 40 percent of the cost back to the town. But, if they wait a year or longer the town will have to pay the whole cost.

Superintendent William McAlduff also recommended to the committee to air-condition the cafeteria, as well as the other areas that were passed in the motion.

But the concern of the cost and the precedent the School Committee has set previously is to no longer air-condition whole schools. However, they did mention that there are other cooling techniques that can be used to make the school feel cooler during those hot days, which McAlduff pointed out, are few and far between.

There could be a white roof to reflect sunlight and since the school is built into the hill it should be naturally cooler. And while the new school will definitely be cooler than the current building, the committee decided that between the cost, current state of the economy and having to ask for an override, it would be more fiscally responsible to limit the spaces that are air-conditioned.