Perkiomen Valley board approves $212,419 transformer replacement after high‑school outage

The Perkiomen Valley School District Board of School Directors on a voice vote approved and ratified CM3 to replace a high‑school transformer at a cost not to exceed $212,419, following an overnight internal failure that prompted an emergency response and temporary school disruptions.

Board members discussed the outage during the business section of the meeting. Doctor Weston introduced the item and moved the recommendation to approve the CM3 contract and ratify emergency work. Administrators said the cost will be covered by an existing ESCO program refund credit tied to a natural‑gas pipeline project.

Facilities staff described the incident as an internal transformer failure that sounded like an explosion. An on‑site electrical contractor, PECO, an independent testing laboratory (needed to test oil for PCB contamination), crane operators and district staff all took part in diagnosing and replacing the unit. The district reported coordinating closely with vendors and certifiers to ensure the new unit’s electrical phases and oil met safety standards.

The outage left only emergency lighting and life‑safety systems on generator power; rooftop HVAC and full building lighting were not powered by the backup generator. Staff said generators engaged quickly but that generators are sized to power emergency circuits, not full building systems. The district discovered a freezer failure at the high school during the outage and arranged temporary storage of food with North Penn School District to avoid loss of perishable supplies.

Trustees asked how many contractors and staff were involved; district staff estimated a team of roughly a dozen to 15 people, including electricians, testing technicians, crane operators and operations staff. The district said the failure was internal to the transformer and not the electrical contractor’s fault.

As a follow‑up, the district plans to add remote temperature sensors to walk‑in refrigeration units at all schools to provide earlier notification of temperature drops. The board approved the vendor motion by voice vote with all members responding "aye." The district did not present a roll‑call tally on the record.

The board also recognized food‑service staff and neighboring North Penn School District for providing storage space to preserve perishable food during the outage. Officials said the replacement work will proceed under the ESCO credit; no additional local appropriation was reported.