Penn Hills School District officials tap Oakmont company to replace boilers

Penn Hills School District officials have contracted with an Oakmont-based company to solve boiler issues at the elementary and high schools.

District plant manager Bora Caliskan said in August that two of five boilers at the high school and one of three boilers at the elementary school are not working.

Boilers have been a problem for more than two years. Two high school boilers failed in January 2019 and cost at least $80,000 to repair.

Officials said corrosion and poor maintenance were a couple of factors that contributed to the problems.

The board unanimously voted last month to have SiteLogIQ replace boilers at both schools at an estimated cost of $663,800 for the first year, including $80,000 for service/on-site maintenance support.

The proposal also contained service agreements of $82,000, and increases to a little more than $90,000 over the next four years.

Details are still being finalized between the district and the company.

“It was the best option there was because they were new boilers,” board president Erin Vecchio said. “They were guaranteed and SiteLogIQ was five minutes away from us, so if there were any problems they can be there to fix it. It’s terrible that we even have to do this, but the product that was put in in the first place was never maintained.”

School directors were considering a proposal from McClure Co., which is headquartered in Harrisburg with offices in Wexford and Pittsburgh.

That company declined to respond to a request from the district to submit its “final best offer” earlier this year, according to Dan Matsook, the district’s state-appointed chief financial recovery officer.

Matsook, Caliskan, district Business Manager Eileen Navish and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials recommended McClure, according to district documents.

“McClure dropped out, ending the debate,” Matsook said.

The board discussed both companies’ proposals in August.

Proposal documents indicate McClure’s project could cost about $1.86 million with a five-year warranty and service contract. They were to refurbish and reprogram the existing boilers that were not due for a full replacement. Savings were projected to be $6.3 million over 20 years.

SitelogIQ would install new boilers at both schools for about $1.34 million. District documents show that price could end up being about $1.76 million with a five-year warranty and service contract.

SitelogIQ’s projected savings were listed at about $56,000 annually, which comes to about $1.12 million.