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Boyertown Area SD told rebuilt chiller motor will cost about $99,006; board asks staff for bids and maintenance options
Summary
District facilities director said a motor failure has sidelined chiller No. 2 at the high school; a rebuilt motor from York was quoted at about $99,005.65 with a 2–4 week delivery and one-year warranty. Board members asked staff to get pricing, timelines and proposals for preventive maintenance before the next legislative meeting.
The Boyertown Area School District was told Tuesday evening that a rebuilt motor to repair high school chiller No. 2 would cost approximately $99,005.65 and would take two to four weeks to arrive.
Mr. Bramble, the district's director of facilities, told the Board of School Directors' committee of the whole that the chiller has been down since early December and that technicians found “significant black carbon and evidence that there was a mechanical failure.” He said York offered a factory-reconditioned motor with a quoted delivery window of “2 to 4 weeks” and a one-year warranty on the repair.
The malfunction matters because the two identical chillers, installed in May 2016, together serve roughly 90% of the high school. “The building can run on one chiller,” Bramble said, “but if number 1 chiller goes down, there will be no cooling or dehumidification in all of the building basically except the Banana hallway.” Board members noted that the district relies on the chillers for humidity control through colder months as well as summer cooling.
Board members pressed Bramble for alternatives, timeline details and the condition of the remaining chiller. He said York had recommended replacing the motor after technicians observed bearing problems and that a new, complete chiller would cost “hundreds of thousands” and typically carries a longer warranty (about five years) than a rebuilt motor. Bramble also said the district previously had an extended service agreement with Johnson Controls/Johnson Controls International (JCI) that lapsed in February 2018 and recommended exploring renewed service agreements.
Mr. Lance, a district staff member who responded to procurement questions, said the district could use the COSTARS cooperative purchasing program and that the work would be paid from general funds. He told the board staff would “continue to negotiate the best pricing with COSTARS from what they initially offer.”
Directives to staff and next steps
Board members asked Bramble to provide additional information quickly. They requested: cost comparisons for rebuilding the existing motor versus buying a new motor or new chiller; whether York would return a rebuilt core or whether the district could get a rebuilt core back as a spare; precise delivery and on-site rigging timelines; and pricing for renewing an extended service/maintenance agreement. Bramble said he would contact the York and JCI representatives immediately and provide updated pricing and timelines to the board within about a week so members could consider the matter at the board's upcoming legislative meeting.
Board members also asked the facilities committee to include proposals for routine preventive maintenance contracts (for chillers, boilers and compressors) at its October meeting so the board could compare cost structures and options.
Why it matters
The district's two high-school chillers handle the majority of the building's cooling and dehumidification. If the remaining chiller fails before a repair is completed, classrooms and sensitive equipment could lose HVAC control. Board members characterized the $99,000 quote as “not pocket change” and requested more competitive pricing and preventive-maintenance options before awarding any repair contract.
Names and roles referenced in this report come from the committee meeting transcript of Sept. 9, 2025.
