News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Woodland Park Elementary suffered a shutdown of three out of four compressors in the school’s air conditioning chiller.
White County Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said the remaining compressor has worked inconsistently throughout the remaining hot days of summer. Dronebarger said he is hopeful the worst of the hot weather is behind them.
“We’ve added dehumidifiers, we’ve added portable units, we do whatever we can to provide comfortable learning environments,” Dronebarger said. “So we hope that we’ve surpassed the hottest of the days, but we’ll continue to work to make things better.”
The lack of air conditioning has led to a rise in humidity and moisture within the building. Dronebarger said the problem existed before the compressor shutdowns, but has worsened after the incident. That’s the reason for the dehumidifiers in the school building.
Dronebarger said finding the parts for the compressors were more difficult than expected. He said the new parts needed for the compressors will be purchased and installed before next spring despite supply chain issues slowing the process down.
“It’s just a matter of getting them into Sparta and getting them installed,” Dronebarger said.
Replacing the old compressors will cost the school system $42,000.
