A 1956 Sikorsky S-58ET helicopter is used to place new HVAC units on Dos Pueblos High School rooftops (July 11, 2012)
Paul Wellman

Dozens of heating, ventilation, and cooling systems are right now being lowered onto Dos Pueblos High School rooftops by helicopter. The four-hour chopper project, which began at around 10:15 a.m., is a much more cost- and time-efficient method than using cranes, explained Santa Barbara School District spokesperson Barbara Keyani.

“The use of cranes would require days and … in some campus locations the space configurations would not allow for the use of cranes,” she said in a press release. Measure Q bond funds approved in 2010 are paying for the work.

The units are being picked up from a parking lot on the corner of Alameda and Cathedral Oaks streets and gingerly placed on multiple buildings. The old systems were airlifted from the school in early April, said Keyani. Dos Pueblos, currently in its summer school session, is closed for the day. The private helicopter contracted for the work had to reschedule from July 7 after it was dispatched to Montana to help fight wildfires.

Login

Please note this login is to submit events or press releases. Use this page here to login for your Independent subscription

Not a member? Sign up here.