Committee agrees to seek bids to replace worn serving lines at Waldo, East Aurora High School and Coward

The Building and Grounds Committee agreed to move forward with a bid request to replace cafeteria serving lines at Waldo, East Aurora High School and Coward after staff reported repeated breakdowns and rising repair costs.

Andy Allen, a staff member, told the committee three units at the high school have failed: “There’s 3 at the high school. 1 is not salvageable. The other 2 require about $10,000 worth of parts to fix the 2 of them.” Mike Engel, a staff member, said the cost of new units is only marginally higher than repairs and noted the Waldo line has been a long-standing problem. The committee agreed staff should solicit bids and return with results.

The matter was presented as an informational item and committee members indicated support for issuing a formal bid solicitation. Allen said the district expects to receive multiple bids and anticipated the project would exceed $25,000, which would require formal procurement steps when the results are presented to the full board. No formal motion or vote was recorded during the committee meeting; staff will bring the bid results and recommended contract to the board for authorization.

Committee members asked about repair versus replacement and were told one unit at the high school is not salvageable and two others would need roughly $10,000 in parts. Staff cited difficulty finding replacement parts for older Waldo equipment, requiring custom work that raises long-term costs. The committee did not set a procurement timeline beyond asking staff to prepare and return with bid results and pricing.

The report said Coward recently experienced another unit failure and that consolidating replacements (ordering multiple units together) may yield better pricing. The district will solicit bids, collect cost estimates, and report back to the board for contract approval and funding confirmation.