Ferndale middle school heat, hot lunch service impacted by electrical failure

An electrical transformer failed at Vista Middle School in Ferndale Monday evening, impacting the school’s hot meal service and heating system Tuesday, said Scott Brittain, assistant superintendent for Ferndale School District.

The transformer, which had been in place since 1969, reached the end of its life cycle, Brittain said.

Because of the failure, the school was unable to serve hot meals during breakfast and lunch – the school was still able to provide a meal service, he said.

The school was also without heat for most of the morning Tuesday until maintenance crews were able to switch the boiler that runs the heating system to different circuits, Brittain said. Outside temperatures Tuesday morning were in the upper 40s and lower 50s, according to the National Weather Service.

The failure did not impact regular teaching throughout the day.

The new transformer is expected to arrive and be installed Wednesday. Information on the cost was not immediately available.

This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Ferndale middle school heat, hot lunch service impacted by electrical failure."