When Vermont lawmakers come back to the Statehouse next week for a marathon special session to attempt to override some, if not all, of Gov. Phil Scott’s recent vetoes, they’ll find a building that — at least from the front — looks like a construction site.
That’s because it is: Crews are in the process of replacing three aging air handlers that help cool the House and Senate chambers by circulating conditioned air, according to Jennifer Fitch, commissioner of the state’s Department of Buildings and General Services. The air handlers have already been dismantled, department officials said, effectively leaving both chambers without any central cooling system.
As a result, Fitch said her department decided to install a temporary air conditioning system for the duration of the veto session, which is expected to last no longer than two days after it starts on Monday morning.
But the cooling system’s projected $70,000 price tag — and the fact it was even being installed in the first place — came as a surprise to at least one legislative leader.
House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, was “stunned” by the cost, said Conor Kennedy, her chief of staff, in an interview Thursday. “I think the speaker’s first response, kind of cheeky, was, ‘couldn’t we just bring in fans and/or open up the windows?’”
Kennedy said the speaker’s office learned on Wednesday that the air conditioning was being installed, though according to Fitch, plans for it have been in the works since mid-May.
Ashley Moore, chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, said in an interview Friday that she wasn’t aware the temporary system was being installed.
Fitch said in an interview Thursday that her department previously communicated about the temporary air conditioning system with Statehouse Sergeant-at-Arms Agatha Kessler’s office. Kessler declined to comment for this story.
Fitch added that her department could not wait to start replacing the air handlers serving both legislative chambers until after the veto session. Had crews waited, she said, the project may not have finished before preparations get underway for the 2025 legislative session.
Once the buildings and general services department felt confident a veto session was going to take place, “that’s when we looked at what options may be available,” Fitch said. “And we made the decision in the executive branch to put in temporary AC, understanding that in this time of the year, right, it can be cold — or it can be really, really hot.”
Indeed, temperatures are expected to surpass 90 degrees in Montpelier early next week as a wave of extreme heat and rising humidity blankets the state.
Fitch said the temporary air conditioning and HVAC replacement work is being managed by the Barre contracting firm E.F. Wall & Associates. Contracts for the work were selected through a competitive bidding process, the commissioner said.
“We’re getting the best, (most) competitive price that we possibly can,” she said. She said the cost includes setting up, running and then taking down the system — adding that the condensed timeline of the temporary project made it more expensive.
According to Fitch, the administration expects to be able to cover the $70,000 cost with funding that lawmakers have already appropriated for the HVAC replacement project. If not, she said the department could need to request additional money for the work from the Legislature, though emphasized that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a state construction project.
This summer’s air handler replacement is the second of three phases of work being done to modernize and improve the air delivery systems around the Statehouse, Fitch said.
Last summer, crews replaced the air handler serving Senate committee rooms on the first floor of the building. Next summer, plans are to replace two more air handlers that serve other parts of the building, including House committee rooms.
Fitch said the existing air handlers date back to the 1970s and ’80s, so they’re well past their recommended two-decade lifespan. And she said the old systems also weren’t designed to accommodate the number of people who use the Statehouse today — so the new systems will help the state meet established modern airflow standards.
Overall, the air handler replacement project is expected to cost $12.3 million.
The replacement project is also tied to broader plans to build an expansion onto the Statehouse, including additional legislative committee rooms. That project is still only in the planning phase, though, Fitch said on Thursday.
Read the story on VTDigger here: It’s getting hot in here: $70K Statehouse cooling bill surprises speaker ahead of veto session.