The Escondido City Council voted to approve a contract to replace the boiler at the city water treatment plant, authorizing a not-to-exceed amount of $141,341, including a $4,000 contingency. Administration recommended hiring Berger and King of Escanaba, Michigan, as the low bidder.

In presenting the item, a staff member said the plant’s single existing boiler is "aging" and "failing," and that the upgrade will improve redundancy and efficiency. "Sometimes the pictures too can tell a lot," the staff presentation said, noting recurring failures and the benefits of a modern boiler.

Jeff, a city staff participant, described the technical change: "We have one now, but we're gonna get two in place of it," stating each new unit was sized in the transcript as 1,000,000 BTUs to provide redundancy.

Council discussion confirmed the project was publicly bid; staff said three bids were received and the recommended contractor was the low, compliant bidder. The motion to approve the contract was made and seconded and passed on a roll call recorded in the transcript as yes votes for DuBois, Moore, Bauschaux (spelling per transcript) and Mary Ellen.

The administration noted the budgeted estimate had been about $120,000; the approved contract exceeds that estimate but was described as essential for continued plant operation. No public speakers addressed this item at the hearing.

Next steps: staff will finalize the contract with Berger and King of Escanaba and proceed with scheduling replacements and equipment procurement.