Air-Conditioning Work at 54 Schools Delayed Until 1999

School officials said Friday that the installation of air conditioning in 54 of Los Angeles’ hottest schools--mostly in the San Fernando Valley--will be delayed from October to January.

The school district will complete air conditioning in 87 schools by the September deadline, said Erik Nasarenko, spokesman for the facilities services division.

Nasarenko blamed the delay, which will put thousands of students through another uncomfortable fall, on several factors, including the manufacturers’ inability to meet the district’s specifications and suspension of the work twice for negotiations with private firms seeking a share of the estimated $200-million job.

Those firms went through grueling bidding competition, amid complaints from a volunteer oversight committee that district staff were trying to monopolize the work.

The Los Angeles Board of Education is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a contract with a joint venture known as PG & E/CH2M Hill. The group will install air conditioning in about 160 schools that are in cool areas or already have climate control in most classrooms.

The 141 high-priority schools--those in hot areas or on year-round schedules--will continue to be part of the contract with the construction management firm hired by the district to oversee the bulk of the school bond repairs.