Parkland board workshop adds $1M chiller replacement to capital plan after high school unit fails

Parkland School District staff told the school board during a workshop that an unexpected failure of a 500‑ton chiller at Parkland High School will require a like‑for‑like replacement budgeted at roughly $1,000,000 and has a lead time of about 40 weeks, pushing some projects into 2026.

"A chiller for that high school, because it's a 500 ton chiller, is coming in budgeted around 1000000 dollars," said Art, the district presenter for the capital action plan, describing the scale and long lead time for the equipment. Staff said a smaller emergency repair of about $30,000 will keep the building operational until the replacement can be installed in February when cooling demand is low.

The chiller breakdown came as staff reviewed 2024 capital work — about $6.4 million across 13 buildings and 18 projects — and outlined roughly $10.3 million in work planned for the coming year. Art said the district is keeping the 2026 list intentionally modest (three buildings, three projects, roughly $3 million) to preserve contingency funds in case other high‑cost items arise.

Board members asked how the chiller work integrates with the district's planned high‑school additions and other HVAC upgrades. Art said engineers working on the new construction and McClure, the district's ESCO partner on energy projects, have presented alternatives: replace in kind and add a third chiller and cooling tower, replace in kind and use rooftop units for additions, or add a third chiller. The administration said adding a third central chiller would require major electrical, cooling‑tower and piping upgrades and is not the preferred approach.

Art emphasized operational risk: "Central plant chilling is really good when it works. However... if 1 goes down, you've lost the whole building," he said, noting a chiller’s typical useful life is 15–20 years and the district has often kept units longer.

The board and staff also discussed priorities at other sites — roof scans and wet‑membrane replacements, playground fencing paid for by parent groups at some schools, bus‑loop work at Fogelsville and a 25‑year‑old tank at Kearnsville that needs replacement for compliance reasons. Staff said many items will return to committee for vetting and that the capital action plan is fluid and subject to revision.

Next steps: staff said they will refine installed‑cost estimates with McClure, present any required contract actions through the committee process, and return to the board with updated timing and budget details; the district expects to revisit the capital plan at future meetings.