In an interview, Dr.Dingmann addressed some of the questions and inquiries that students and community members have generated.

With the deterioration and corrosion of the current system, the district has faced additional expenses to keep it functioning at the rate a new system would function. Over the years, humidity has caused some wear and tear on the building, calling for the replacement of certain items. Since most of the HVAC system originated in 1969, when parts do stop working or break, the custodial staff has to get creative with how they find replacement parts.

When asked how the school overcomes those challenges, Dingmann said, “When parts break or get stuck and we have to get a new one, it’s not that easy to find. It’s not like we can go to a warehouse and find the part, because there are just not that many parts around, so we have to get creative.”

Dingmann also talks briefly about how the new HVAC system would improve the school’s ability to temper the air and transport it around the building, improving temperature control, humidity regulation, and overall heating and air conditioning circulation around the building. This new system the school will be installing if voted on is called a Variable Air Volume System or “VAV,” and according to Jackson Mechanical Service Inc., a newly installed HVAC system has a life of 15-25 years, possibly more if properly maintained.

The HVAC system replacement process would take two summers. Mr. Dingmann says, “Replacing a new HVAC system is a dirty project because Riverview has tunnels that need new piping and also the HVAC systems above the ceiling tiles that need to be replaced. If question one is passed on February 11th, we would be able to start in the summer of 2026. The reason the project wouldn’t be able to have a start date in 2025 is because of the lead time it takes to get the parts. We wouldn’t be able to get the parts we need in time to start in June, because the lead time is too long. The project would be able to be started in the summer of 2026 and only half of the school HVAC system would be able to be replaced that summer because of how much needs to be replaced, and the other half of the school’s HVAC system would need to be replaced the following summer of 2027 due to the expansive layout of the systems across the building.”

Jesse Paggen, the lead of custodial staff at Riverview Intermediate School, had some additional insight into some of the questions asked of Dr. Dingmann.

When asked about the features a new HVAC system would have that the current one wouldn’t be able to handle, he said “The new system is going to have more filtration area, a heating and cooling coil where as of now we currently only can heat outside air once it comes in from outside. We can’t do much with the outside air in our current system. Still, with the updated system we will be able to heat the air and drop out the humidity by cooling it and heating it, so you’ll be able to take outside air and drop moisture and humidity levels from it. There’s the ability to run CO2 sensors in them, and you can manipulate the air a lot better. We currently can’t do a lot with the system we have because it’s so antiquated, and we’d be switching to all neumatic style control over to an electronic style controlling system. The electronic system will be more exact as far as all of our dampers, and when they say they’re shut they will be. We don’t have to go and physically look at them all the time, and most of the controls in the building are overall in not great shape so by updating the air handler, you get the newer style controls which would work a lot better, smoother and we’d have the ability to have those VAV’s.”