Council Rock North boiler leaking; district proposes $62,030 repair package with four-week parts lead time

Council Rock School District staff told the Facilities Committee on March 6 that a crack in a cast-iron section of one of the three boilers at Council Rock High School North has reduced the unit’s capacity and requires repair.

Jessica Binda, the district’s supervisor of facilities, explained that North has three cast-iron boilers made up of multiple removable sections; when a section cracks the boilers lose efficiency and eventually must be taken out of service. North can operate with two boilers, but staff said the district needs to replace the cracked section before additional failures would risk losing heat to the building.

Binda recommended sole sourcing replacement Burnham cast-iron sections from Jay Lorber Company — described as the local provider for that manufacturer — and accepting an installation quote from Industrial Boiler. She presented the combined estimate of about $62,030 for parts and installation and said the parts have a roughly four-week lead time. Binda said the cost will be covered by the facilities budget and that there is no immediate hazard to staff or students because the leaking water drains to a nearby floor drain.

Board members asked about the discovery date and potential collateral damage; staff said the crack was first discovered in January and the leaking water has been contained in the boiler room and drained without damage to adjacent areas.

Ending: Staff presented the repair package for administrative approval and said they would move forward with procurement consistent with sole-source sourcing for manufacturer parts and the contractor selected to install the sections.