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Brooklyn City board backs moving forward on two-school boiler replacements, asks administration to present change order
Summary
After receiving bids for high-school and rear-building boiler replacements, the Brooklyn City Board of Education endorsed pursuing both projects now to save labor and coordination costs and asked administration to present a change order at the April meeting, while discussing bond-contingency and interest-income financing options.
The Brooklyn City Board of Education on March 17 received competitive bids to replace aging boilers at the high school and the rear building and directed administration to bring a change order to the April meeting so work can move forward.
The superintendent and facilities staff said Wilkes Plumbing & Heating submitted the lowest hard bid for the combined project with a guaranteed maximum price of about $657,006 that includes roughly $30,000 in contingency. Administration recommended doing both sites now — the high school (where boilers are at end-of-life) and the back building — to capture savings from having crews on site at the same time and to avoid higher future labor costs.
Treasurer and facilities staff outlined financing options: using the district’s 070 capital account to cover the immediate $552,450 base cost outside contingency and then charging remaining amounts to bond contingency or other allocated contingencies as needed. Staff also noted available allowances and contingencies in existing project budgets (discussed totals included $500,000 in allowance and additional contingency pools) and said bond-account interest earnings could be used as another option, though several trustees urged caution about tapping interest prematurely while major work remains underway.
Board members asked technical and schedule questions. Staff estimated 12–14 weeks lead time for equipment after releases to contractors, with substantial electrical and concrete work required. Administration said boiler work would be staged to avoid disrupting school operations and expected final billing late in the calendar year after project completion.
Several trustees voiced support for completing both projects now. One board member described the high-school boilers as 50–60 years old and said doing both projects would leave facilities in a better state for 30–40 years. The superintendent said the board would likely see the change order at the April meeting for formal approval.
The board’s direction is to authorize administration to proceed with contract releases and present a formal change order for the board’s April meeting; no final contract adoption was recorded on March 17.
