As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge nationwide, the general public remains more interested than ever in the condition and operation of institutional and commercial facilities. Their interest focuses on the role these facilities — especially K-12 schools and their HVAC systems — play in preventing the transmission of the coronavirus. One question coming out of this renewed interest is whether it can translate into federal action to improve the condition of schools.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand hopes so. She recently proposed the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021, according to WENY. If enacted, the bill would invest more than $100 billion in grant funding to schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks. It also would allocate funding to combat the spreading of COVID-19 through the installation of HVAC systems.
Gillibrand said funding will go toward public schools that most likely needed funding before the pandemic had started and have seen an increase of need over the last few months.
Dan Hounsell is editor of Facility Maintenance Decisions.
