New A/C still not functional

Alban said the contractors had a "late start" on hooking up the system, a project she said was supposed to have been completed by the start of this school year. Instead, she said, the contractors are behind by about a month.

Building Services Manager James Brown said a lot of "government red tape" has repeatedly pushed back the timetable for the installation. "It was a big deal just to get the licenses to get the chiller trucked over here," he said.

Alban also said that the shipment of bricks for the chiller housing, now under construction near the stadium, was postponed for several weeks, causing further delays.

According to Alban, the old air chiller used now is not able to keep up with demand.

Brown believes that part of the inefficiency of the chiller in previous years was due to MCPS energy policy, which until this year had stated that the chiller could not be used after 6:00 p.m. without prior written notification.

However, according to Alban, MCPS has reversed the policy this year, allowing Blair to run the chiller 24 hours a day, every day except Sunday, when the school is unoccupied.

But Alban also said the current chiller has broken down about five times due to overuse and that the air conditioning, after repairs, takes up to a day to cool down the building completely.

Alban appreciates the effort that MCPS has put forth to help resolve the air conditioning problems, calling the Department of Facilities Management "very responsive."