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Board reviews Salamonie School HVAC plan; staff cites $5.5M estimate, alternates and tight procurement timeline
Summary
District staff said design for HVAC replacement at Salamonie School is about 75–80% complete, with an estimated $5.5 million to replace systems serving key areas and a $7.4 million right‑size option; bids are planned for September and the bond must be spent by December 2026.
District facilities staff briefed the board on a bond‑funded HVAC replacement and partial right‑sizing plan for Salamonie School, saying design is largely complete and procurement timing is tight.
Terry (district staff) said the 2023 bond includes an allocation for Salamonie School and that design is “about 75, 80% done” for the targeted HVAC replacement. He told the board the budget based on information from Valerie was "about $5,500,000" for HVAC replacement serving the colored areas on the plan; including right‑sizing and removing unused portions of the building raises the estimate to roughly $7,400,000.
Rich Kirdle, the district director of facilities and maintenance, described the existing mechanical equipment as long‑lived and increasingly obsolete: handlers date to about 1970, boilers were replaced in the late 1990s and some chillers and parts are becoming difficult to source. "Equipment has seen its life," he said, and staff reported that the natatorium has been out of use for about a decade.
Staff recommended bidding the full design with alternates so the district can choose feasible elements depending on bids — for example, replacing HVAC for occupied classrooms first while preserving alternates to remove the pool or locker rooms if budgets allow. The team said the cost to replace HVAC for some gray areas versus demolishing them was roughly a wash, so bids will include options to remove or retain those spaces.
Procurement risks were a recurring concern. The project team warned that high regional construction demand — large commercial projects in Fort Wayne and long lead times on mechanical equipment (about 30 weeks) — could raise prices and limit contractor availability. Staff said they plan to put the work out to bid in September and that early ordering is necessary to secure equipment for summer and early‑next‑year work.
Finance staff reminded the board of the bond spend‑by date (December 2026) and reported a remaining balance of about $5,540,000 as of last month; the board was told contingency planning and bid alternates will be critical if bids come in above estimates.
Staff said they will return with bid results and a recommendation for award; no formal action was taken at the work session.
