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The weather is starting to feel like fall. It has been a busy start to the new school year. There were many construction projects this summer that are now coming to completion. It was the final year for the implementation of the provincial Liberals’ Full Time Kindergarten program. As of September 2014, all elementary schools in Ontario had to be readied to provide the full time program. In some cases only relatively minor changes were required, such as moving a wall and adding a washroom. In other buildings, additions of various sizes were required.
The summer months are also the obvious time to complete various other renovations and upgrades in schools. Boiler plant replacements are a given, and by mid-October, the new boilers have been fired and are ready for the impending wintery weather.
Of the many projects I have been working on, one that stands out is the major mechanical retrofit at Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy in Markham. The heat pump system was no longer meeting the needs of the building. The geothermal heat pumps was removed and replaced with four pipe fan coils units (FCU’s). New hot water piping to serve the FCU’s was installed. Several new air handling units were installed. And some minor upgrades were made to existing equipment, such as adding VFD’s to Heat Recovery Units. An addition was built on the east end of the existing building to accommodate the new boiler and chiller plants. There have been many interesting challenges along the way, including the daycare remaining operational through the project and not interrupting the final exams in June. The building had to be ready for occupancy on September 3, 2014. Due to the magnitude of the scope of work, this project is on-going, but they can see the light at the end of tunnel.
In all projects, from the small to the large, all the owners, design teams, and contractors have all worked exceptionally hard this construction season, and the results are evident. Everyone deserves congratulations for a job well done!