The Bourbonnais Elementary school board approved bids last week for three projects aimed at preventative maintenance around the district.
Projects include an upgrade of the Shepard Elementary HVAC control system, replacing rooftop HVAC units at Shepard and Shabonna, and parking lot improvements at Liberty Intermediate and other sites.
Superintendent Adam Ehrman said the district is tackling some of the maintenance work in advance that will be needed in the next 10 years.
“These are projects that we have delineated and decided that need to be done before they fail, before we run into problems,” he said.
After revising and rebidding the Shepard control system project, the district will save more than $300,000 from the price quoted in a previous bid.
The final bid was awarded to South Side Control Supply for $50,478, for parts only.
In February, the board voted to reject the only bid it had received at the time, which came in at $396,000 for parts and installation.
“We were quite shocked at the number that came in versus what we anticipated,” said Dennis Crawford, chief school business official.
The board gave the OK to rebid the control system project and seek other options.
The district then worked with its architect and engineer to revise bid specifications, Crawford said.
On March 18, South Side Control Supply was awarded the contract to supply parts only.
The district will self-install the equipment using its own maintenance staff to save on labor costs.
Crawford said the savings will allow the district to move ahead sooner with its other facility needs, including replacing aging rooftop HVAC units at Shepard and Shabbona.
The new equipment should last about 20 years, he said.
A contract was given to Bradbury Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical for a total of $185,010.
“We’re finding ways that we can do more with the taxpayers dollars so they get a bigger bang for their buck,” Crawford said.
The final bid approved was for the parking lot project.
Work is to include asphalt sealcoating, crack fill and striping for the east and south parking lot and drives at Liberty Intermediate School, including the access road to the district’s transportation center.
“We have a rotation to address schools’ parking lots in order to prolong their life and prevent wear and tear, much like you would take care of your driveway,” he said.
A second base bid and alternate bids also were accepted for additional patching work in other lots, including at Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center, LeVasseur and Shepard.
Crawford said it was a competitive bidding process.
While it was expected the project would cost about $150,000, the low bid came in at $62,329 from Denler Incorporated.
“This will allow us to get on that rotation of schedule that we need to do to maintain and do the preventative maintenance in our district,” Crawford said.