Board conditionally awards $1.9M Elko High boiler contract amid debate over cooling priorities

The Elko County School District board conditionally awarded the Elko High School boiler replacement contract to Chester Plumbing & Heating after receiving a low qualifying bid of about $1,925,547 and staff recommendations to prioritize heating upgrades over larger cooling projects.

Project manager Matt Stalke told the board the bid exceeded the original $1.6 million budget and that two bidders were close in price. Trustees pressed for clarification about whether the district should include cooling upgrades when addressing aging mechanical systems; one trustee noted that classrooms had been "scorchingly hot" in summer and asked if the project could be designed to avoid later rework.

Stalke and staff explained the district's immediate priority is to ensure heating reliability and preserve building operations through winter, citing an inspection by a professional boiler reviewer. "I've had the mechanical engineer start looking at individual buildings and what we can do to kind of offset some of the cooling stuff," staff said, while noting cost and logistical limits to a campus‑wide cooling retrofit.

Board member Trustee (Speaker 3) moved to accept the apparent low bid including alternate number 1 and conditionally award the contract pending timely submission of required bidder documents (signed contract, required insurance, performance bond and payment bond); the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

The conditional award requires the contractor to provide required documentation and performance assurances before the contract is fully executed. The district and board emphasized they will continue to evaluate cooling needs district‑wide as funding and planning allow.

Next steps: staff will finalize contract paperwork, complete required bonds and insurance proofs, and proceed with the replacement work subject to those conditions.