Aug 28, 2016 1 min read

The heat is on but the air conditioning wasn’t, so officials at Belle Vernon Area School District opted for a temporary reprieve from summer.

At a cost of $8,500 a month, district administrators are renting two 12-ton mobile air conditioning units to cool the buildings, which at times reached temperatures of 100 degrees last week, according to superintendent Dr. John Wilkinson. Monthly rental costs are expected to be offset by a proposed savings of $11,000 by not “running air handlers, uni-vents and (a) cooling tower” or other electricity-draining equipment, Wilkinson said.

The move is a temporary one expected to last through mid-October as the district completes a $7.7 million overhaul of its HVAC systems. The interim AC units will be pumping cool air into the cafeteria and the classrooms above it, and into one of the ramps in the “E Building,” each will be further assisted by large fans to distribute the air, officials said.