Clymer Central School’s Superintendent discussed measures in place if classrooms get too hot during the latest school board meeting. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

CLYMER — With the outdoor temperatures remaining relatively comfortable so far during the start of the new school year, Clymer Central School has yet to see any problems regarding temperatures inside the classroom.

That may change this week – and Clymer officials have been preparing for it. Beth Olson, Clymer superintendent, reported at the September board of education meeting that so far for the first week of school they have had to do little to mediate the temperatures of classrooms.

“Because we ended the year on such a hot note, we took some measures over the summer with some of our classrooms because as of September we had to have a procedure in place,” Olson said. “If a classroom was at 82 degrees we had to have a plan to mitigate the temperature in the room. If it got up to 88 we had to move that classroom.”

Measurements of temperatures in classrooms were taken at the end of the last school year to see where they were at the beginning, middle and end of the day and the classrooms were targeted that would fall in between the 82 and 88 degree mark, Olson said. About 12 classrooms were found to be reaching the 88 degree mark.

“We put a reflective film on six of those classrooms and then we did buy some portable air conditioners so we have them on hand,” Olson said. “So, if we were to get a heat wave here in fall, which has happened in the past, we are prepared to be able to mitigate those classrooms and come next year in May we have a plan in place if need be.”

Olson also discussed in her report to the board a planned emergency project for a water heater for the school. This is something the board has discussed in the past, and Olson said the school has two water heaters that are over 20 years old.

Before, a leak was being watched on the first one and the school has been able to keep them “limping along”, but now the second heater has a bigger leak than the first one, Olson said.

“It’s just a matter of time before they completely fail,” Olson said. “We can’t run school without hot water; we need water in the kitchen and hot water in the sinks for the long term. So, with an emergency declaration this allows us to make the emergency corrections or replacements and not have to wait for approval for that work at State Ed.”

The project can still be submitted for state aid, but Olson said it would not come back in one year but rather over a period of time, though she said they would still be able to get aid on it. An emergency declaration also allows the district to fast-track the bidding process, being able instead of getting a public bid to get multiple quotes and still get a bid out. The Board of Education approved both a resolution and SEQRA determination for this emergency project.