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Schools flag 26-year-old boilers as safety risk; $20M'$30M CT addition proposed
Summary
Maintenance staff said boilers at the secondary complex are past their 20'25-year life and show insulation failure; replacement lead times (30'40 weeks) and fire/explosion risk make the boiler a top capital priority. Officials also described a conceptual 30,000-square-foot career-technical addition with a rough $20 million starting estimate and broader plans that could bring the total near $30 million.
Maintenance staff and school leaders told supervisors that mechanical systems at the secondary complex are aging beyond their expected life and require prompt attention. A recent inspection identified insulation decomposing and falling off a heat vessel and several mechanical components that have exceeded a 20'25-year life span, the maintenance director said. "Insulation falling off decomposing on the vessel, the heat vessel, which is indicative of the age of 26 years old," the maintenance director said, warning that boiler failure can cause fire or explosion and that lead times for replacement parts and new boilers can be long.
Officials said the division had reprioritized capital needs to move boiler replacement higher in the FY27 list. They noted the video surveillance, intercom and chiller work already in progress and said a boiler replacement would push the projected FY27 CIP well above earlier funding assumptions.
On programmatic capital, Dr. Armstrong described a vision for a career-technical (CT) addition of roughly 30,000 square feet to house programs such as agriculture, ROTC and video production; early programming suggested an initial, high-level estimate near $20 million for construction and retrofit work, with the division estimating that, including other secondary improvements and potential retrofits, the overall package could reach about $30 million. The division plans to issue an RFP for architecture and engineering and agreed to work with county staff on financing options; staff noted about $18.2 million remains in the 2021 GBA bond allocation that could be applied to projects or used to reimburse early costs.
Next steps: the division expects to issue an A&E RFP, obtain updated quotes and refine cost and financing plans with county staff before any contract commitments.
