Ballard East & West Elementary Schools Undergo Significant HVAC Renovation

This summer, crews at Ballard’s two elementary schools in Cambridge and Slater completed a full replacement of HVAC systems at each building. The projects took place over the course of approximately 15 months with Story Construction leading the way as the district’s construction manager, and were wrapped up in time for both buildings to resume normal operations for the 2025/2026 school year. 

The existing HVAC systems at East Elementary in Cambridge and West Elementary in Slater were comprised of a four-pipe boiler system with fan coil units in each room. These systems were reaching the end of their expected lifecycle and costs for maintenance had been increasing for the District.

The Ballard Community School District hired Story Construction as its construction manager for the renovations, having previously hired Story to lead renovation of Ballard Middle School in 2020. The project also provided an opportunity to add new secure entrances, replace all acoustical tile ceilings, replace fluorescent light fixtures with energy-efficient LED fixtures, and upgrade the fire alarm system to meet current voice notification requirements.

“The most significant challenge on this project was maintaining an appropriate learning environment throughout the entire academic year while construction was underway,” said Dr. Dani Trimble, superintendent at the Ballard Community School District. “Time and time again, Story personnel went above and beyond to ensure smooth transitions for our students and staff.”

Key to the project was keeping each building occupied by students and staff while crews moved through in phases. The team accomplished this by bringing six portable classrooms to each site and taking six classrooms at a time offline for renovation. Ultimately the project was completed in six phases over the course of the 15 months.

“Story Construction served as a true partner and advocate for the district,” said Dr. Trimble. “Construction projects inevitably present challenges, but with Story managing these complexities, Ballard staff could maintain their focus on day-to-day operations and provide appropriate learning environments for our students.”