Keller ISD outlines HVAC upgrades, warns of possible outages as school year begins
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Summary
District staff reported July 24 on summer HVAC maintenance and equipment replacement, including three new units ordered for Trinity Springs Middle School, but said some campuses still have aging equipment that may fail and cause short-term outages early in the school year.
Keller ISD officials on July 24 gave a summary of summer HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) work and warned trustees that, despite preventive maintenance and some equipment replacements, campuses may still experience outages when school resumes.
Why it matters: With high summer temperatures and many district HVAC units beyond life expectancy, failures could disrupt learning environments early in the school year. The district described short-term mitigation plans and longer-term replacement needs.
What the district reported: Dustin Scribe (Facilities) said the district completed quarterly chiller inspections, preventive maintenance across several district sites and has contracted with vendors for ongoing service. Trinity Springs Middle School has had persistent HVAC issues for years; the district is purchasing three replacement units — two are in stock for installation before school begins, and a third has lead time for delivery.
Vendors and support: The district maintains service agreements with multiple HVAC vendors (Intech, Cary Services, Century Mechanical, Rescue Cooling Rentals, American Mechanical Services, Efficient Facilities International) and is working with Trane on system evaluations to prioritize repairs and replacements. If immediate repairs are not possible, the district has a partnership with Rescue Cooling for spot coolers and a triage process (work order + phone triage) for rapid response.
Costs and long-term needs: Trustees asked about replacement costs: the district noted a replacement example of about $200,000 for three units at Trinity Springs, and emphasized that many buildings have multiple units; full replacement and modernization across the district would require substantial capital investment. Administrators said they are developing a mechanical, electrical and plumbing study to identify long-term needs.
Board guidance and timing: District leaders said they expect some outages despite summer work and will triage problems as they arise; they emphasized that full reliability requires replacing aging units that have exceeded their life expectancy (units typically rated for about 20 years but many in the district are 28–29 years old). The district will continue to monitor system performance and deploy spot cooling when required.
Ending: Officials said the district has plans to respond to cooling outages but that longer-term capital funding will be necessary to modernize aging systems.