South High Boiler Project Moves to Top of District 99 List of Capital Improvements

A new $11 million heating system at South High School heads the list of capital projects being contemplated by Community High School District 99, the school board learned at its Oct. 4 workshop meeting.

Scheduled for replacement are the boiler, which dates back to 1963 when South was under construction, and all heating infrastructure installed prior to the school's 2000 addition, said Marty Schack, director of physical plant and operations.

The project will be carried out in stages, beginning in March 2011, he said.  It is expected to take more than a year to complete.

"We're on borrowed time," Schack said of the aging heating system. The district has been spending $20,000 to $50,000 a year on repairs, he said. "Sooner or later, you're patching patches and then it's time to go."

In addition to its maintenance costs, the current steam system operates at only 65 percent efficiency, compared to modern systems that are 85 to 95 percent efficient, Schack said.

After weighing the benefits of geothermal and solar heating systems, the district has decided to go with a hot-water system, based on its payback timetable and costs.

The administration will formally present the project to the board at its Oct. 18 business meeting in an effort to avoid public confusion about its impact on the district's Master Site Plan, which has been under discussion since January 2009. The plan is set to be completed by December with a presentation of recommended projects and funding options to take place in early spring.

"There's a concern that we're bailing out of Master Site Plan," said Controller Mark Staehlin. "That's not what's happening here. This is going to be more of a public issue than it has been and we want to make sure the assumptions don't get drawn incorrectly that we're supplanting the Master Site Plan with the boiler project."

There also has been some misperception about the planned use of proceeds from the district's Woodridge land sale, said Supt. Mark McDonald. The district decided in August not to appeal an Illinois Appellate Court ruling upholding Woodridge's right to acquire the 45-acre parcel for $14.2 million.

McDonald said he'd heard from many residents who believe the district has already completed its Master Site Plan and has determined how it will spend that windfall. "That is not correct," he said. "What is correct is that we have a commitment to pursue site improvements on our campuses."

The board hasn't discussed how to use the money, other than to say it will be used for capital projects," McDonald said.

Staehlin said the district has the capacity to issue a debt extension that "would be more than enough for the critical pieces of the boiler plan."  While the project would qualify as a life safety issue, Staehlin said he  "would prefer it be done under working cash" so that any remaining bonding capacity could be applied to Master Site Plan projects.

Between the proceeds from the Woodridge land and a debt extension, the district could have as much as $27.5 million to spend on capital projects including "the critical aspects of the Master Site Plan," Staehlin said.

The administration found $20 million worth of items that could be folded into the boiler project, including "wish list" items such as air conditioning, he said.  "We have different pieces that we want to marry up with the resources we have and also to marry up with Master Site Plan projects that are also very high priority in order to accomplish district's mission."

"We have to do this (boiler) project," Staehlin said. "Let's be as smart as we can and make the money stretch out and get all the items done that are the most critical to the district."