Project News

This video shows our recent work upgrading the HVAC systems at Pattonville High School. This was part of our $10.2 million energy conservation project with the Pattonville School District. As part of the HVAC system upgrade, 32 roof top-mounted HVAC units needed to be removed and new units installed.

The layout and space around the High School did not lend itself to using a conventional crane to lift the units off the roof. So Navitas, and their mechanical contractor partner Integrated Facility Solutions (IFS), engaged Midwest Helicopter Airways and their air crane helicopter to do the lifting.

It took almost a month of work to get the site prepared and schedules to coordinated in order to pull this lift off. Since the High School is just down the road from St. Louis’ Creve Coeur Airport and not far from the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, flight plans had to be coordinated and filed with the FAA.

Pattonville High School is also a popular site for community events, and we wanted to make sure that no one was in the building during the lift for safety reasons. So, we worked with the school district to pick a day during their winter break when teachers and students would be away from school and no events were scheduled.

Once we had a date scheduled, the next step was to coordinate the actual lift. Navitas worked with IFS to plan the sequence in which the units were removed and replaced so that we could use the air crane efficiently. A staging area was created in the parking lot of the school so that the old equipment could be dropped off quickly and the new equipment picked up.

As the date drew near, Navitas worked with the IFS crew and the folks from Midwest Helicopter Airways to prepare the site. Extra care was taken to remove or fasten down anything that could possibly be sucked up into the rotors of the air crane or become flying debris that could harm someone.

Site safety was a big concern, so both Navitas and IFS had safety directors on site during the entire lift event.

Our last obstacle was the weather. As many of you know, the weather in the Midwest in late December can be unpredictable. But we were fortunate to have a good day for flying on the day of the lift.

All the crews did an amazing job. The lifts went as planned and the crews work quickly and efficiently. All old unit were removed, and all the new units were installed. The air crane performed 70 lifts and was able to do it in an hour and a half, which is an outstanding performance.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible. Great Job!

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Click here to find out more about our project with the Pattonville School District.

The City of Gladstone received the Mid-America Regional Council Sustainability Award for the energy program they implemented with Navitas. Below is a video of Justin Merkey accepting the award on behalf of the City and seated beside him is our own Koby Kampschroeder.

The project includes upgrading the lighting with energy efficient or LED lamps and fixtures, HVAC equipment upgrades, a citywide networked building automation system, a roof replacement, and building weatherization. The sustainable aspects of the project includes the installation of a 100-kW photovoltaic solar system on the roof of the Gladstone Community Center and the 75-kW expansion of the existing solar system at the City’s water treatment plant.

The City has also implemented an energy awareness program in its facilities that focuses on raising energy awareness among City employees and encourages energy conservation through small behavioral changes. Along with the helping the City achieve its energy management goals, these efforts have had a ripple effect in the community. As the residents of Gladstone see how the City is striving be green, it encourages them to make positive impacts on energy consumption in their own homes.

Navitas is proud to be apart of this project and congratulates the City of Gladstone on its achievements.

Click here to learn more about the Mid-America Regional Council Sustainability Award

Many times, when we complete a project for our customer, its hard to see an immediate effect and at other times the effect is striking. This is the case with the new lights we are installing in the Pattonville High School gym.

The picture above shows the High School gym with half the lights changed over from standard metal-halide fixtures (shown on the right) to new LED fixtures (shown on the left).

The difference is amazing.

The right side of the gym looks dark and dingy, while the left side of the gym is well lit and much brighter.

Which side would you rather play in?

The real beauty of the new LED lights is that they use less energy than the metal-halide lights, which means they will save Pattonville School District hundreds of dollars on their electric bill each year.

AND they don’t need to warm up like the metal-halide lights do. You flip the switch and the lights come on. No more waiting 15 or 20 minutes for the lights to warm up.

What a Difference!

The work is progressing nicely at our project on the Omaha Home for Boys campus. The above video shows our crew welding together segments of the Thermocor underground piping, which is used for distribution of hot water throughout the campus. After welding is complete they will wrap and seal the joint with an exterior insulation product. These pipes will replace the old central heating and cooling piping that was causing issues on the campus.

This is part of a larger, $6.3 million energy conservation project that Omaha Home for Boys partnered with Navitas to complete. Along with the underground chilled water and hot water piping system, the project includes lighting efficiency improvements, water conservation, HVAC improvements, building control system upgrades, a new boiler, new chiller, and a cooling tower replacement.