MH Professional Engineering served as the lead mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers for the transformation of a more than 150-year-old historic school building in western Montgomery County into a much-needed child care facility.
The school, located in Fort Plain, closed in 1974, and is set to become the home to the New Beginnings Academy for children six weeks to 12 years old.
As part of this rehabilitation, we designed the site lighting, including bollards, flag pole lighting, wall packs, recessed down lights, and wall-mounted goose neck lights. A time clock and photocell will be used to control the exterior lighting.
We also upgraded the utility service to support decarbonization and designed a fire alarm system that meets childcare regulations. The electrical supply was extended to support HVAC, plumbing, kitchen, and staff break room needs. LED exit signs and emergency power were installed for safety.
We rehabilitated historic indirect pendants with LED kits and implemented occupancy control systems in bathrooms. Dimming features were added to classrooms for personalized lighting control.
The HVAC system is all-electric and uses a ducted air-to-air variable refrigerant system for heating and cooling. Energy recovery ventilators were installed for ventilation and exhaust. We also provided electric baseboard heat in non-occupied spaces.
The project included designing sanitary waste and water systems for the facility, including child restrooms. We took measures to prevent freezing in unheated crawl spaces and coordinated with existing utility connections. An electric tank-type water heater. heater was installed for hot water.
The project is now ready for bidding, although no bid date has been set as of this posting.
