Chiller, beautification highlight summer work

by Judy Stringer

Sept. 9 school board meeting

The Hudson City School District checked off a list of facilities projects over the summer including completion of the nearly $7-million HVAC retrofit at Hudson High School, according to Operations Director Tom Barone.

The district began replacing the high school’s aging rooftop air conditioning system with a chilled water plant last summer. Moving away from the older technology meant Hudson would no longer have to rely on an expensive and hard-to-procure refrigerant called R22, Barone told the board in 2023. Installation of a central chiller also allowed the district to more easily air condition the high school’s gyms and locker rooms, which previously were not included in the cooling system.

“This became a need for us more than a want,” Barone said on Sept. 9. “We saw a number of benefits by moving forward with this project, obviously better temperature regulation and comfort improvements for our staff and students throughout the entire high school. … Reduced energy and consumption costs were part of this upgrade as well, but just as importantly, it’s the air quality and the healthy learning environment for our staff and students here at our high school [that] was our primary objective.”

He added there were “limited challenges and disruptions” over the course of the “huge” project.

Summer also brought forth a continuation of “beautification” projects at HHS and other schools.

“There were times, not too long ago, when there were some legitimate concerns about the shape and the visual look of our campus and grounds,” Barone said. “We took that constructive criticism and tried to turn it into a positive.”

Barone and other district leaders noted local volunteers, including arborist Curt Van Blarcum, board member Tom Tobin, resident Suzanne Heckroth and Boy Scout Brian Craven, have been integral in recent landscaping projects.

“Our vision and plan enhancements were not just something that we threw on a dartboard and did it,” Barone said. “It was a very involved process to determine how could we utilize the funds that we expend for this type of expenditure and make it worthwhile [to] where [people would] definitely notice, and we think we did that,” he said.

Among other summer projects were pool maintenance at East Woods Intermediate, split rail fencing for a planned outdoor land lab at Ellsworth Hills Elementary and expansion of the Safety Town area at McDowell Early Learning School. Barone said Hudson Preschool Parents have contributed to the Safety Town updates with “more work” to come on that project.

The board approved several donations as part of its legislative agenda. Those include $5,000 from American Fireworks for Portrait of an Explorer T-shirts, $2,000 from Michael Gedeon for the Francy Sears Award and an Eastman VB-120 Double Bass and King French Horn from John and Angela Loughry.

Safe gun storage

Under new business, board member Alisa Wright recommended the city partner with the Hudson Police Department, the city of Hudson and Akron Children’s Hospital to promote safe gun storage. Tobin supported the idea, saying he had passed discussion with high school administrators about a safe gun storage campaign.

Board President Steve DiMauro said the district’s communications team does “a really nice job of getting information out” and suggested administrators “build that message in as appropriate.” Referencing a recent school shooting in Georgia, DiMauro added that gun safety is “certainly something that is top of mind.” ∞