The Prince Edward County School Board agreed to fund a new chiller at the elementary school during this school year.

The board will use remaining contingency funds from an energy performance contract with Honeywell as well as budgeted Site Improvement Funds to finance the project.

The contingency funds, worth $19,363, are just a portion of the $100,000 the school system budgeted with Honeywell as contingency funds for a series of projects, including
a new boiler for the middle school and new roofs for the middle school and Career and Technical Center.

Peter Monstello, Honeywell project manager, said the company is excited that the contracted project is finished and willing to put the remaining funds into a new project, such as the new chiller.

Richard Goode, direc- tor of support services for the school system, said the board will be tight financially for the rest of the year, but could make it work.

Monstello said it would take six to eight weeks for the chiller to arrive once ordered and his goal would be to have it installed over Christmas break, leaving time for any problems to be addressed before the chiller would be needed in the spring. He encouraged the board to make a decision by the end of October.

The board voted to use the contingency funds, as well as bud- geted money, to replace the chiller.

Seven of the board members agreed; Farmville Representative Dr. Lawrence C. Varner abstained.

The decision to re- place the chiller falls in line with Superintendent Dr. Barbara Johnson’s priority list as dis- cussed during an Aug. 3 board meeting.

According to the improvement plan, this project will cost around $100,000. Monstello said he will bring a final estimate to the board’s November meeting.

Work on additional priorities, including the elementary and high school roofs as well

as elementary school plumbing lines, remains unfunded at this time.

Also during the meet- ing, the board agreed unanimously to appropriate grants toward Title III funding and security equipment.

The $2,834.51 Title III grant will be used for language-based supplemental materials intended to promote language acquisition among students with limited English proficiency.

The security grant, worth $58,189, will be used to purchase and install school security equipment.

The board also discussed budget goals and the division’s comprehensive plan. Di- rector of Finance Cindy Wahrman said officials have to make sure they are meeting the needs of both the schools and the departments.

Along with this discussion, Wahrman reminded board members of statewide and countywide goals for the schools.