Sandgate Selectboard accepts lower bid for town garage boiler upgrade

The Sandgate Selectboard voted unanimously June 1 to accept an itemized $24,500 bid from contractor Don Latif to replace the Town Garage boiler and hot water system under a MERP grant project.

Selectboard member John Phelps said he preferred Latif’s bid because it was more detailed and lower in price, and that he trusted Latif’s work. Tom Yandow, who joined the meeting by telephone to review the bids, described a revised bid from Roy at $36,404 and said Don’s $24,500 quote arrived the morning of the meeting. Yandow said connections by the local vendor Blue Flame would likely add roughly $1,500–$1,600 to Latif’s total. The board agreed the later submission date was not a primary deciding factor and moved ahead with Latif’s bid.

Yandow summarized a propane-versus-oil analysis prepared by PCI showing estimated 2026 fuel-oil costs of about $3,900 for current Town Garage usage and estimated propane costs of about $2,900. He added that a new LP boiler operating at roughly 95% efficiency should reduce fuel consumption further, increasing the potential savings beyond the raw price difference.

Yandow said the project will leave the existing chimney in place but fill, insulate and cap it, and the new boiler will vent through the garage side wall. He also noted the second lighting project had attracted no additional bids and that lighting work would be assigned to Randy Novotny; windows for Town Hall were expected at the end of June and Farrington would be asked to inspect suspected improper attic insulation. Yandow said he would contact the garage-door repair company to proceed with repairs.

The Selectboard documented the contractor choice and directed staff to complete contract paperwork and schedule the work for later this summer.