TONTOGANY – The Otsego Local Schools Board of Education will purchase a new chiller for the elementary school to better control temperature fluctuations in the building.

The project, which will add a second chiller at a cost of $483,500, can be paid off in 10 years with a fixed 3.84% interest rate. That will total $58,000 a year.

Another option is to finance the purchase and pay it off early using funds saved from the elementary debt. That will save $50,000 in interest if paid off after year five.

The elementary school will be paid off in June 2025.

The district also could pay cash, but that amount is equal to 9% of the cash that will be available at the end of the next fiscal year.

Treasurer Steve Carroll provided the information at the May school board meeting and recommended the financing option and paying if off early.

If the district does not move forward on the project now, Gardiner has told him the costs will increase 8%-9%.

Gardiner, which is based in Maumee, will do the work.

Board President Brad Anderson asked for the lifespan of the chiller. Carroll said it would be 25-30 years.

Board member Gordon Digby voiced frustration that they were having issues with a building that wasn’t that old.

The school opened in fall 2012.

“From the start, we’ve had issues with the cooling system,” Digby said.

“I’m frustrated that we have to do this,” he said. “It is to the point it’s affecting the way kids are learning,” he said about classrooms not staying cool on hot days and warm on cold days.

Board member Mark Tolles asked if there was any liability with the building’s engineers and contractors as the current system was supposed to last 20 years.

“We shouldn’t eat this cost,” he said.

Board member James Harter agreed, and asked administrators to check with the district’s attorney.

Carroll said the chiller will be big enough to accommodate six more classrooms if a decision is made to add onto the building.

“I don’t know if this is a huge option for us,” Anderson said.

Carroll said the company cannot guarantee the work will be done by fall, and Anderson asked him to find out if the existing chiller will function while the second one is added.

The board agreed to finance the project with the intent to pay it off early.