Urbandale board approves replacement of aging middle‑school boilers and awards engineering contract

The Urbandale Community School District Board of Education voted unanimously to award a contract to replace two aging boilers at the middle school and to retain an engineering firm to produce design and bidding documents for the HVAC work.

The board approved the construction contract for the middle‑school boiler replacement to Ellie Fulton and Sons and separately approved a DLR Group services contract for engineering and bidding support. Both measures passed on voice/roll‑call votes recorded as 7‑0.

District buildings and grounds coordinator Mike Klingensmith said the middle‑school boilers had lost pressure on “two or three condensing boilers” and staff had to shut parts of the system down to protect equipment. "They're right around — well, they're over 20 years old," Klingensmith said. "Contractors would say we got a certain good service life out of those, but they're ready to be replaced."

District staff presenting the contract package told the board the work scope includes replacing two of the three boilers, a complete system flush, and a water‑heater replacement; staff also offered a priced bid alternate for efficiency upgrades. "Our schedule has the work being completed by September. That gives us about a 30‑day buffer," a district staff member said, adding that final timing depends on equipment availability and supply-chain issues.

Bids were received from two contractors; the board selected Ellie Fulton and Sons, a firm the district has used previously. The district emphasized the project was on an accelerated timetable because the condition presented operational and reliability risks heading into cooler months.

Separately, the board approved a contract with DLR Group to prepare bidding documents and oversee the design phases for the work. The presentation noted DLR provided some donated services related to evaluating an optional bid alternate and the district will not be charged for those particular hours.

The board discussion also reviewed related summer projects the buildings and grounds team is managing districtwide, including a rebuilt chiller at the high school (installed in place with a 10‑year warranty), ongoing rooftop exhaust fan replacements, classroom lock installations and other preventative maintenance aimed at keeping older buildings functioning.

Board members did not receive any public comment specific to the boiler replacement; the meeting opened a public hearing on the middle school boiler replacement earlier and no members of the public spoke. The board directed staff to proceed with contracting and report back on progress and any adjustments to schedule or cost.

Next steps for the district include finalizing submittals with the awarded contractor, completing procurement of long‑lead equipment, and moving the construction work through summer so the system is available for the next heating season. District staff said they will notify the board if supply or warranty issues require schedule changes.