As Midway Middle School continues to deal with heating issues caused by a malfunctioning boiler, there is a temporary solution in place to keep students, faculty and staff protected from the cold temperatures.
The school, along with Sampson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jamie King, is currently looking at options for the broken boiler situation as several portable heating units have been placed throughout the school.
Dr. King stated that together, they were looking at quotes for a new boiler. In the meantime, the school has an armada of heating units at their disposal.
These heating units were rented out shortly after the school’s boiler broke down last week. According to Dr. King, the school has at least 10 of these units placed throughout the school. According to the principal, Nicole Peterson, the units have been doing a good job so far at managing temperatures.
“The temperatures have been stable today; it’s currently around 69 to 70 degrees,” said Peterson. “It’s about the same temperature it would be with the boiler. The only place where it’s really cold is the foyer area because the door is opening and shutting all the time.”
According to Peterson, she was not aware of any past or existing problems with the boiler prior to last Monday. She stated that the boiler started having problems regulating heat that day and many present in the school building reported that temperatures were cooler than normal. The following day, Peterson sent out an all call to parents, letting them know that the school would be a little colder than normal while the situation was being investigated. According to Dr. King, as of that time, repairs were still a viable option.
As investigations progressed, the possibility of repairs dwindled as the boiler was deemed irreparable. School was later canceled last Wednesday as Dr. King and Midway looked for temporary solutions to the problem until they could get a new one.
The school procured the heating units, called “PortaCools,” in time for school to progress as normal for the rest of the week and into this week. So far, temperatures at the school have been steady while options for the boiler are explored. Currently the school is awaiting quotes for the cost of a new boiler. Monday, investigators deemed that the school was managing acceptable temperatures. However, it was later deemed that the “PortaCool” units were not sustainable long term. Instead, the school now has large HVAC units hooked up to the building’s air vents that pump warm air throughout the building to manage temperatures.
School at Midway Middle is scheduled to proceed as normal as temperatures are deemed, no longer a concern. For now, temperatures are being closely monitored until the district can find a replacement boiler. As of press time, no temperature concerns at the school were anticipated for the remainder of the week.