School repair, improvement bids sought

Repairs and other improvements estimated to cost $3.6 million will be made to Oswego School District buildings and facilities later this year.

School district board members authorized school administrators Monday evening to seek bids for the work on 13 projects estimated to cost just over $3.6 million.

The 13 items were culled by Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wendt from a list of 17 items prepared by school officials earlier this month and presented to board members at their March 31 board meeting.

The original list was prioritized in March by members of the Citizens Advisory Facility and Planning Committee and presented to the board for discussion.

Wendt said he and other staff members reviewed the committee recommendations and made some changes so they could lower the cost and have the most needed repairs done.

The original list included repairs, upgrades and replacements in schools, buildings, and other areas in the district estimated at $7.8 million by Mike Barr, director of facility construction and development; Bill Baumann, director of operations; and Pat Dacy, assistant director of facility construction and development. They conducted an evaluation of all property in the district, which was submitted to the committee for review and recommendation.

The three toured each building and met with the administrators and building engineers at each school, to survey their conditions.

They also received assistance from engineers, architects, and contractors in preparing a list of major needs and concerns for each building.

The 13 projects left on the final list that the district will seek bids for include replacing the chiller at The Wheatlands Elementary School, 2290 Barrington Drive West, Aurora. This unit provides chilled water to the HVAC systems throughout the building and is a backup to the existing boiler chiller. The cost is estimated to be $625,000, and would take 10 weeks to complete.

The chiller at Fox Chase Elementary School at 260 Fox Chase Drive North, Oswego, will be replaced with a high efficiency oil-free centrifugal chiller at a cost of $450,000. It will take 10 weeks to complete.

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School repair, improvement bids sought