Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Albert Lea School Board on Monday approved entering into a professional services agreement with ISG Inc. for the replacement of four mechanical systems in district buildings that are nearing the end of their life cycle.

Assistant Director of Finance and Operations Paul Durbahn said two of the units with the steam boiler system at Southwest Middle School are from 1957 and two of the units with the hot water boiler system at Lakeview Elementary School are from 1961. Also of concern are the pool dehumidification unit and pool boiler/heater at Albert Lea High School, both of which were installed in 2000.

Durbahn said the district has gotten by with the units thus far but it is becoming challenging to repair and replace parts. The boilers at both Southwest and Lakeview are original to their schools and beyond their life expectancy.

Durbahn gave an example of last year when one of the boilers went down and one of the parts actually had to be manufactured because it is no longer available.

In a memo to the school board, he said the pool dehumidification unit is not serviceable any longer and has been disconnected. Air is being rerouted to ensure the district can use the space, but that means they are no longer able to control the humidity in the space.

The firm would also provide a structural evaluation of the roof over the boiler room at Southwest and evaluate boiler fuel source recommendations at Southwest and Lakeview.

Durbahn proposed paying for the projects with deferred maintenance bonds. The district would essentially sell bonds against the district’s long-term facility maintenance funds and there would be no impact on the levy.

The proposal approved Monday would cover design and development, engineering and construction administration for the replacement of the units. It included $3,000 for the roof structural evaluation at Southwest, about $25,000 for construction administration, and design and engineering at 8% of the construction costs. Information about the total cost of replacing the systems has not yet been discussed.

Board member Dave Klatt asked if there were rebates available for the project.

Durbahn said depending on the size of equipment that is installed and the number of units there would be, there would be potential for rebates.

He said some of the current equipment is 70 to 75% efficiency at best, whereas the new equipment is advertised at 95 to 97% efficiency.

Superintendent Ron Wagner thanked Durbahn and Director of Finance and Operations Jennifer Walsh for their work on the project.

“We can’t rely on hope that those continue,” Wagner said, noting if a boiler were to go down, it could mean having to shut down a school.

“We need to think long-term,” he said.

Board member Kim Nelson asked to clarify that all of the projected costs for engineering, assessments, design and administration would be included in the project costs, and Durbahn answered in the affirmative.

Durbahn said there was some concern about the compressed timeframe and getting all of the preliminary work done in time for the project to completed in the summer.

The proposal includes the firm coming before the school board in late November with the scope of the project and projected costs, getting approval from the Minnesota Department of Education in December and going out for bids in early January, among other steps.

In other action, the board:

• Opted to complete a school board evaluation through the Minnesota School Board Association. The association would come back with a one-page report based on the results.

The board also considered paying $1,100 to get a more in-depth report with the findings and opted to wait until the strategic plan is further along before going that route.

• Approved updates on various policies relating to crisis management, internet acceptable use and safety and student transportation. Most changes were to reflect updates at the state level.

• Approved the first reading of an update to the district’s policy regarding school meals.