Dupo district celebrates new concession building and school upgrades
Dupo Illinois School District 196 recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new concession building and other improvements at Dupo High School with superintendent Dr. Kelly Carpenter, representatives from the school and CTS Group representatives in attendance.
CTS Group, a Veregy Company, is a St. Louis-based design/build energy services company that works collaboratively with school districts in Illinois to assist with building upgrades and energy-saving improvements.
The new concessions replaced the deteriorated storage/concession building near the ballfields. The expanded concession stand includes new restrooms and larger storage for field maintenance equipment.
The district worked with the neighboring local park district to extend water and sewer to the building.
“Through the outstanding partnership with CTS, our district has made great improvements in our facilities,” Carpenter said. “From the planning stages through the implementation, the CTS representatives have seamlessly driven completion of all projects within time frames and under budget.”
Carpenter said one of the most noticeable projects is the new concession stand.
“This project has been discussed for some time and we are thrilled to see the final product. We anticipate many years of use by our athletic programs as well as for community events held in the park.”
School buildings across the Dupo school district benefitted from energy efficiency upgrades such as new HVAC systems, LED lighting, and insulated roofing. CTS worked with the district to secure a $100,000 School Maintenance Grant to offset the cost of replacing portions of the Junior High and High School roofs.
CTS has been working with Dupo CUSD 196 to implement strategies that met the need of combating viruses such as Covid-19.
The district installed needlepoint bipolar ionization devices on 19 roof top HVAC units that were replaced at the Junior High. Not only does this reduce the virus spread by approximately 95 percent, but it also reduces the long-term operational and maintenance costs, and the facility’s overall consumption of energy. This technology embraced the District’s efforts to provide a safe classroom environment for their students.
LED lighting upgrades throughout the classrooms and outdoor security lighting were funded through the Ameren Illinois Small Business Lighting program. Energy savings, coupled with the program lighting incentives, provided a simple payback of less than three years and allowed the District to implement additional tunable LED lighting strategies for specialized educational classroom needs.
In many cases, the improvements are ones that the school district has needed for many years. Leaking roofs, concrete and brick deterioration, and high electric bills from inefficient HVAC and lighting systems are examples of major areas where repair or replacement was completed. Additional improvements included tuckpointing, window sealant, concrete sealant, intercom wiring, and a new gym sound system.
CTS managed the replacement of 141 lighting fixtures to energy efficient LED at the High School, Junior High, and Bluffview Elementary School. This saves 22,659 kWh/year and $2,107 annually. CTS also replaced 34,827 square feet of roofing with an R-value of 25, saving the school district more than $1,000 annually in energy bills. They also installed 48,357 square feet of demand control ventilation, saving the school district more than $2,200 annually in energy bills. CTS Group initiated a 20-year performance contract with guaranteed energy and maintenance savings. The upgrades were a part of Dupo’s five-year Infrastructure Master Plan.
The most positive aspect of these building improvements is the impact on staff and students. Improved air quality and comfort, new lighting fixtures, and ceilings that don’t leak, has a long-term positive effect of increased learning, confidence and productivity.
PHOTOS: Dr. Kelly Carpenter, superintendent of Dupo CUSD 196 and Scott Ririe, vice president of CTS Group/Veregy Midwest, presenting at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Dr. Kelly Carpenter, superintendent of Dupo CUSD 196 and Scott Ririe, VP of CTS Group/Veregy Midwest (in front of the Dupo Tiger logo), with Dupo staff/board members, and CTS Group representatives.
