Just the facts about school's HVAC

To the editor:

I wish to respond to recent articles about the HVAC systems at Central High School. I am disappointed that the school board has not yet retracted false allegations and lawsuit language as stated in the articles by a past board member. Our present and future clients, employees and the community deserve and need to know our position.

The general contractor, Kiefner Bros. Inc., and all other subcontractors, including our HVAC control subcontractor, Trane, completed a quality project on time in accordance with the project specifications. If the systems were malfunctioning, you would assume that we were contacted. Kiefner Bros., Associated Sheet Metal and St. Louis Trane have not been contacted about any control problems or utility concerns. The HVAC systems were installed and commissioned according to the plans and delivered to the district in working order.

The school board invited an outside contractor, Control Technology and Solutions of St. Louis, to analyze the system and suggest improvements. CTS is in the business of selling and installing Honeywell control systems. The articles have referred to CTS as an engineering firm. The company is not certified according to the Missouri statutes to engage in engineering services and evaluations. An independent consultant would have been the proper choice if operational costs were a concern. I estimate that $150,000 of the proposed control changes will be due to replacing hundreds of working Trane control components with similar Honeywell components. There is no justification for this -- unless you sell Honeywell controls.

BRIAN SIEVERS, Professional Engineer,

Associated Sheet Metal Inc., Jackson