Pittsfield High Boiler Replacement UnderwayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:07AM / Thursday, October 03, 2024 | |
 School Building Needs Commission gets an update on the $3 million Pittsfield High boiler projecton Tuesday. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield High School's boiler project is underway and the school will have heating upgrades for the winter season. The effort will replace three inefficient, original-to-the-building boilers that are past their useful life.
"That school is going to operate a whole lot different," Building Maintenance Director Brian Filiault told the School Building Needs Commission on Tuesday.
"There's not going to be fluctuations in there anymore."
A temporary boiler arrived at the school last week and will be connected to the building in the coming weeks. The replacement boilers arrive next week and will go online in December.
The project, originally set to be paid by American Rescue Plan Act monies, is expected to total about $2.8 million.
In June, the City Council authorized the borrowing of $3 million to replace the school's nearly 100-year-old boilers. After looking at the numbers, it was clear that the allocated $1 million in ARPA funds would not be enough.
The boilers original to the building were converted locomotive engines that were extremely inefficient and expensive to maintain. One boiler was non-operational and another was severely compromised.
A failure during the heating season means that the school would have to close.
Everything in the boiler room has been removed, including the former locomotives. Filiault said it is a completely different space.
"It's a major undertaking," he said. "That project is very intense, there's been a lot of work done to get us to this point."
Work has been formerly done to calm irregularities in the school's climate. The old pneumatic heating system was uncontrollable and is being converted to a digital system that could be controlled from Filiault's office.
He sees the new boilers as the workhorses of the system.
With a pending application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School, the commission will likely not meet again until next year.
The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.
In late August, MSBA conducted a senior study visit to the schools. Superintendent Joseph Curtis reported that they asked a series of questions, such as the district's commitment to the project facility, and were impressed by the Pittsfield Public Schools Facilities and School Structure Study.
"They did indicate that they would be back in touch with us in December of this year to see if we've been accepted into the program," Curtis reported.
"So the senior study was a preliminary visit, if you will, in their decision-making process."
Following a successful SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.
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