Arlington Public School’s efforts to upgrade the HVAC system at Barcroft Elementary School may get a boost from federal COVID funding funneled through the state government.
School Board members have requested $5.33 million from the Virginia Department of Education to pay half the cost of the proposed project to update the school’s ventilation system, which is now more than 20 years old. The state government has allocated $250 million for school HVAC projects across the commonwealth, with the proviso that school systems play at least half the cost from their own funds.
Arlington has the funding on hand to provide the local match of $5.33 million if the grant is awarded, school officials said.
In May, a consulting firm looked at 19 Arlington public schools to evaluate HVAC needs, which are evolving in the COVID era, and school officials determined that Barcroft was most in need of action.