Henrico leaders vow HVAC problems ‘will not happen again’

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Henrico top two leaders for county government and schools say the HVAC problems that hit the start of the school year will not be repeated.

“You have the commitment of the county manager and the superintendent that this will not happen again,” County Manager John Vithoulkas said in a joint interview Tuesday with Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell.

Vithoulkas said any heating issue this fall or winter “will be attacked, whether it’s in a school or a library.”

CapTech’s October report calls both the county and Henrico County Public Schools “heavily reactive” in how they handle HVAC repairs.

Cashwell said the finding was not a surprise.

“The CapTech study certainly was not a surprise in that finding, but I think it does underscore not only the challenge but most importantly a roadmap for moving forward differently,” she said.

The report found work order tracking is inconsistent and inaccurate. Cashwell said a technician may finish a repair and move to the next call without entering it into a computer.

“If I had to give ourselves a grade, it would be a C, maybe a C minus,” Vithoulkas said. “We don’t do C minuses in Henrico County.”

Cashwell called the opening of school “frustrating and challenging.”

“It was frustrating for students and families,” she said. “We know there are systemic changes that need to happen, long term and short term. We’ve begun the work.”

Henrico schools have seven HVAC technicians for 74 schools and buildings, with nine vacancies. The county has eight vacancies among 34 HVAC positions.

Vithoulkas said hiring alone will not fix the problem.

“We absolutely cannot hire our way out of this, or just bring in folks and think that everything is going to be normal,” he said.

In an effort to become more proactive, Cashwell said boiler testing at every school “has already begun” ahead of the heating season.

What’s next

• Shared work order system: Vithoulkas said the county and schools plan to issue a joint request for proposals in the coming weeks. He said the county’s system is 30 years old and the schools’ system expires next year.
• Public portal: “We want to put out a portal, a transparency portal, where every county work order is available, where every school work order is available,” Vithoulkas said. He said the county has a prototype and there is no date yet. He said the expectation is that it launches ahead of fall next year.
• Outside oversight: Vithoulkas said a recommendation to both boards would keep the consultant on through August or into the fall of next year to “help keep our feet to the fire.”

The Board of Supervisors holds a work session Tuesday night. The School Board holds one Thursday night, Vithoulkas said.